You Obviously Haven't Seen the Wings
by Unsaid Goodbyes
Summary: Your typical Maximum Ride and Twilight crossover, with a twist, this time, Bella’s part of the Flock. Will Edward still fall in love with Bella—wings and all? AU, BellaxEdward.
1. Chapter 1: Thoughtless Innocence

A/N: Okay, this is the first chapter of this story. It's been a long time since you've probably read this story, but I don't care. I loved this story and I'm never going to get rid of it. I might change a few things though. I have a small thing going on in my head that I'd like to get out. I'm starting a lot of new stories. This is the only A/N I'm re-doing, so the rest are exactly the same. So, don't pay a lot of attention to them. So, onto the story.....

Summary: Your typical Maximum Ride and Twilight crossover, with a twist, this time, Bella's part of the Flock. Will Edward still fall in love with Bella—wings and all? AU, BellaxEdward.

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**Title: **You Obviously Haven't Seen the Wings

**Rating: **T

**Author: **Lianna Weschester/Breathless Tomb

Chapter 1

**Bella's POV**

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Max fanned her powerful wings up and down, in a rhythmic pattern. The wind passed over and under her, making a light _swish_ing sound every time her wings pumped.

"There's a valley down below," she yelled out to us, folding her wings in halfway and diving down into the forest under us. The rest of the Flock quickly followed, folding our wings in the slightest of bits and aiming our bodies like arrows, flying to the ground with incredible speed.

We passed through the moist clouds that wiped around us, soaking our hair and clothes. I was shivering in the air, cold water drenching my face and neck. The wind quickly turned the water ice cold on my body, icicles forming on the pretty auburn-tipped pure white wings that sprouted from my back.

The clouds were unusually damper than most clouds I'd been through before. A particular wet area I guessed, which meant there would be a lot of foliage. In other words, this was going to be forest central. Darn it. I hated green. We should've stopped back in Cincinnati.

The forest floor came into view a few seconds later, a field of bright green grass, _just_ like I suspected. I almost snorted in laughter. Beside me, Nudge was prattling on and on about something that I couldn't quite understand. The wind picked up her words and threw them away before I could hear them properly.

A few milliseconds later, our feet gently skidded across the lush meadow. I kicked off my squeaky old sneakers, and wiggled my toes in the grass. I smiled as _most_ of the others copied me, except Fang, who stood stoically off to the side, watching Max with intense eyes. Max, on the other hand, had no idea Fang was even looking at her. Silly girl.

I looked back at Max, who was getting the little ones together. She immediately noticed my staring and peered up from the tangles in her hair.

"I'm going to scout out the location, okay?" I told her. She looked over at Fang for reassurance, who took that split second to look anywhere _but_ at Max. The girl in question sighed in exasperation and looked back at me, with a look in her eyes that said_, fine but be careful_. That was all I needed before I dashed into the forest.

Thick, moss covered trees sprouted up from the ground, vines snaking up and down the bark. Bottle green ferns dotted the forest floor, with emerald grass that covered the grimy dirt. Roots bent and twisted over the base of the tress, entangling in the sea green bushes. _Ugh_, _way_ too much green.

I walked quickly through the forest, nimbly dodging trees and the occasional poison ivy. Although, even with my enhanced abilities, I _still_ managed to trip over a root halfway through the woods. Sitting down on my butt, I checked my ankle to make sure it wasn't twisted. I was lucky, it wasn't.

Something snapped from behind me. A twig maybe, probably just a deer or mouse. Nevertheless, I froze in position and began to slowly shimmer out of visibility. Vibrating too fast for the human eye to see, I gradually flickered out of view.

Now that I was one hundred percent sure that nothing.....or no one could see me, I hopped to my feet, careful to make as little noise as possible. I turned swiftly on my heel, expecting the worst. My paranoia was getting the better of me. No one was there.

I did a quick 360° spin to take in all my surroundings. Nothing was there. Even with my raptor vision, there was absolutely no sign of life in the vicinity. Nothing, nada, zip. It scared me. I wasn't used to not being able to know where everything was. So instead of sticking around, I walked deeper into the forest.

That was my second mistake. My first mistake was not hightailing it back to the meadow as soon as I heard the noise.

Luckily, I was still cloaked by my vibrations, so I was completely invisible to everything and everyone around me. I took quick steps around the trees, making little noise as possible, movements so swift that my feet barely touched the ground.

Another _crack_ behind me, closer this time. I was sure that it wasn't an animal now. Unlike humans, animals seem to have a sense of when I was around—even under my invisibility—and they're not always impartial to my company. So this wasn't an animal.......but it didn't seem human either. I've learned that in my seventeen years of existence, that not everything around us is always completely human. Take me for example; I'm only ninety-eight percent!

I went as stiff as a board, watching, listening. Nothing, again. It was like whatever was there wanted me to know it was there, but only when _it_ felt like telling me. I didn't move, I couldn't move. My whole body was on edge, waiting for a noise, _any_ kind of noise.

It was times like this when I was glad I had wings, for a quick getaway. The invisibility was just another quirk that helped me......but something told me that whatever was making those noises _knew_ I was there, even without sight.

To test out my theory, I took a jump of about three meters to my right. No human would have been able to hear or see any movement. There was nothing for one, maybe two heartbeats...then....

_Crick_. Not a twig this time, something larger....a small branch perhaps. I wasn't scared though, I was simply curious. And maybe a little paranoid. Max was rubbing off on me.

So, I dashed through the trees as quick as I could, deeper and deeper into the forest, far enough so that Max and the others would never hear my screams...........

Was something following me? I couldn't be certain. I knew for a fact that someone was there, but not if it was after me.

Out of the corner of my eyes, a lurking shadow in the tree closest to my left. I didn't move my head; let it think that I wasn't sure it was there.

Mid-step, I flew into a quick U-turn and sprinted back the way I came from. The little compass in my head pointed me west, so I took a sharp turn left. My feet glided over the earth, my feet narrowly avoiding roots and the occasional branch. A dark shadow sprang from the tree from the corner of my eye.

It tackled me from behind. I plummeted to the ground, with the hulking figure landing on me, which was _very_ strange. You see, being mutant bird freak extraordinaire, things don't usually seem heavy to me. This _thing_ on the other hand, was making it _excruciatingly_ difficult for me to remember this particular rule.

I wiggled in its grasp, but I couldn't move. I panicked a bit, this wasn't normal, I shouldn't be this helpless. I tried to flicker into invisibility, but because of my panicked state, I only managed to flicker in and out of visibility like a light switch. But this alone seemed to shock the thing on top of me, as it loosened its clutches on me.

I took this opportunity to turn around in its grasp and bunched my legs together, ready to kick at the creature on top of me. I snapped my head up and glared at my captor, ready to see who or _what_ was holding me. That's when I gasped in shock.

It was a boy!

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A/N: Yes, once again, I know I'm starting way too many stories, but bear with me. I still like this idea though, so I'm going to try to finish the whole story before I publish it. All the pictures for the characters are on my homepage, I'm still missing Fang and Iggy, but I'll have pictures for them soon. Anyone know a good Fang or Iggy? I need suggestions.

Temporarily, all my other stories are on hiatus, just for you to know, I want to take a brief break from my other stories. Like I said before, the only reason I ever even started The Untouchables and Apple Martini was because I had _no_ other ideas for stories, and now, all of a sudden, I have _thousands_ of ideas. And I'm not exaggerating with the _thousands_ thing.

Toodles,

Lianna Weschester!


	2. Chapter 2: Blameless Tales

A/N: Okay, this is good, I've actually finished two chapters before publishing the story, maybe I could go for three.....but whatever. I hoped you liked the first chapter, and, even if you didn't, at least you're reading the second chapter. I, at least, hoped you liked it, or else I would have wasted lots of time and effort for nothing. Oh well, enough with the sob fest. I really need a Fang, because I've gotten a good idea for Iggy. I was thinking Sean Faris for Fang, but then I thought _nah_! So, until then, onto the next chapter.....

Summary: Your typical Maximum Ride and Twilight crossover, with a twist, this time, Bella's part of the Flock. Will Edward still fall in love with Bella—wings and all? AU, BellaxEdward.

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**Title: **You Obviously Haven't Seen the Wings

**Rating: **T

**Author: **Lianna Weschester

Chapter 2

**Bella's POV**

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A boy! I almost smirked. I had been so worried there for a minute, there was no possible way, absolutely no way, that this....._boy_ could be pinning me to the ground like in a steel cage grudge match, and _live_. It was physically unfeasible. But somehow, someway, he was.

I lashed out, my bunched up legs pushing against his chest. He barely flinched at the shove. I frowned, all my paranoia coming back to me in that one, inevitable flinch. He was stronger than me. I kept my face neutral as I panicked inwardly. I felt my already quick heart pick up pace and splutter uncontrollably. _Oh crap_, Max was going to kill me if I didn't get back soon!

My wrists were pushed up against my chest, driving me farther into the dried mud under me. Using the only weapon left to me, I banged my head into his. It hurt insanely. A throbbing, pulsing sensation shot through my skull. I remembered Max describing her intense, brain-splattering headaches. This felt a _lot_ like the ones she described.

But the head-slamming did the trick. The boy's grip loosened considerably and I slid upwards, out of his arms. Once I free of his grasp, I scooted forwards quickly, my back ramming into a tree. I hopped to my feet and crouched in fighting position. Finally I got a good look at the boy.

He wasn't a bad looker, actually, easy on the eyes. He glared at me through ochre eyes, a dark butterscotch that I liked more than _I_ should. Garnet coloured the edges of his eyes, menacing and terrifying.

The boy growled again, a sonorous sound from the back of his throat. I shifted my hands, holding them out in front of me. _Stupid insolent boy_, I thought, _he thinks he can take me_? This boy was really beginning to aggravate me.

But something in his stance, something in his confidence, something in the way he glowered at me with so much hatred that I almost recoiled in shock, something about the way he wasn't _afraid_ of me, it made me think that fighting him would not be the smartest of ideas. So I took the easy way out.

I flew.

I unfurled my wings through the large slits in my sweater. I stretched my wings out, enjoying the sensation of extending them after holding them against my back for so long. I shook them out, feeling the feathers align. The second of hesitation presented by the bronze-haired boy was all I needed. Charging forward three steps, he tensed, ready to spring. And then I jumped. My wings pounded up and down, fanning out in long streaks.

Higher and higher, leaving the ground down beneath me. I smirked down at the forest floor, where the boy was staring up in shock at me. Suddenly I groaned. How could something seem so plausible at the time and so idiotic in retrospect? I had just shown someone that I had _wings_! And a _boy_ on top of it all! A boy who freakin' _attacked_ me! My one escape in times of crisis and _he_ knew! Max was going to _kill_ me!

The meadow came into view a few seconds later. None of the Flock looked up, obviously not expecting me to drop from the skies. I let my wings fold up halfway and aimed my body downwards, like the nose of a jet.

Dropping to the ground, Fang just started to notice something amiss in the air. He turned his head from left to right before looking up with alarmed eyes.

I swooshed to the clearing base, feeling the Flock's stares burning holes into the back of my head. It was unnerving, but I ignored the many heated glares from Fang, Max and Nudge. Angel and the other ones just stood there confused. Except Iggy, who was aware of the sudden tension in the air. His sightless eyes narrowed in annoyance.

I landed smoothly, my feet jogging forward a few steps before settling down to catch my breath from the previous activities. My teeth clenched together in anger and helplessness. How could I not be strong enough? It was impossible. That boy should be dead for even _touching_ me, nevertheless _tackling_ me!

Max was by my side before I could even turn around. Her whole face read, _if you don't explain to me what happened in three seconds, you're gonna get it_! I sighed in infuriation. Thank you for ruining my day, bronze-haired boy!

"I was attacked back in the forest." I said rather breathlessly. I wasn't winded because of the fight; I was exhausted because of _what_ just happened. _Not normal_, I chanted over and over in my head, _not normal_.

"I figured that part out!" She snapped sarcastically. My mouth twisted in annoyance.

"Ugh, you don't understand!" I growled, exasperated and furious over her lack of trust in me. Max's brown eyes glared into my own, and then softened. She sighed in frustration. Shutting her eyes tightly, she exhaled deeply. Her eyes opened a fraction of an inch.

"You have exactly ten seconds before I explode, so start talking." She stated in a small voice. I could tell it was forced though; her calm facade would soon be over.

"There was a boy," I started, piecing my sentences together as I went along. "Back in the forest. A very pretty boy."

The last sentence caught Nudge's attention. She was all smiles when she suddenly appeared by my side.

"How pretty was he?" she asked, with a little _too_ much enthusiasm if I might add. The boy had been absolutely gorgeous, but there was no need for Nudge to know this. I never wanted to see the boy again, and I especially didn't want Nudge to run into him. If he could take me down, then there was no way Nudge would be able to stand up against him.

"Just pretty, nothing special about how he looked." I drawled lazily with a casual wave of my hand to put her off. From the corner of my eye, however, I gave Max a look that screamed that I was lying. She nodded knowingly, her eyes darting to Fang for not even an eighth of a second. Luckily, he didn't see her look at him. I almost giggled.

Nudge looked disappointed at my answer, but I didn't feel the least bit guilty. There was no way she was going anywhere near the bronze-haired boy. It was times like this where I was happy Angel couldn't hear my thoughts. I turned my full attention back to Max.

"I didn't see him properly at first, but I knew someone was there." I threw my hands into the air for dramatic purposes. "I won't go into the gory details, but the point was....." Just as I was about to tell her why I had flown back, Max cut me off.

"Gory details?" Her tone was wary but the anger was easily detected, steeling her voice. She was holding back, but her patience could only hold on for so long though. I waved the comment away with, "Just an expression."

Max visibly relaxed, her arms limp by her sides. I took a deep breath, ready to tell her exactly why I had flown back so tired and out of breath.

"But the point is......"

Everyone's eyes were on me now, anxious and full of anticipation.

"......he was stronger than me."

And that's when time stopped.

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A/N: Too dramatic at the end? _I_ think it was. I wanted the style of this story to appear carefree and exuberant, but after reading a few very serious stories like, "_**I'll eat you alive**_", I decided that I needed to make my story blithe, but grave. How else was I supposed to add some tension to the story? Please review and tell me if you thought it was too theatrical and what not. If it was, I won't make it appear so staged.

If you're reading this right now, then be happy, I've managed to write two of the chapters before publishing the story. You have no idea how difficult it is not to publish this story after the first chapter. But, as of since I started this story, all my other stories are temporarily on hiatus.

Anyone know a good actor to play Fang? All the other characters are done, I'm only missing Fang. Fang is a difficult character to find an actor for. No one matched the picture I have in my mind for him. Anyway, till next time!

Toodles,

Lianna Weschester!

P.S. The reason this chapter was late was because Fanfiction wasn't working on my computer, it wouldn't let me upload a document or even sign into my account! Sorry!


	3. Chapter 3: Powerless Panic

A/N: This is even better! I've finished three chapters. Of course none of you know this. But I don't care; this is my joy, deal with it! I wish I'd thought of this idea _before_ writing The Untouchables. _Ugh_....this is so confusing. But I will finish the other two stories......just after I finish this one. But maybe I should delete Apple Martini.....not too much problems for that story. I could delete that story, what do you thing? As usual, I don't own any of the characters, _no,_ _that_ privilege belongs to _Ms Meyer_ and _Mr Patterson_. –Chokes down a sob—But don't worry about little ole' me, I still have the privilege of owning this story! So, onto the story......

Summary: Your typical Maximum Ride and Twilight crossover, with a twist, this time, Bella's part of the Flock. Will Edward still fall in love with Bella—wings and all? AU, BellaxEdward.

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**Title: **You Obviously Haven't Seen the Wings

**Rating: **T

**Author: **Lianna Weschester

Chapter 3

**Bella's POV**

--

Time literally stopped. Not a sound was uttered. Even the air seemed to freeze, the wind stopped swishing around. You could practically feel the tension in the air rise to incredulous amounts. Max's eyes were the size of dinner plates.

"What?" she asked with just a hint of fear in an undertone. My rapid heart was pounding with anxiety. My brow furrowed as I tried to keep from breaking down. I'd only felt this guilt once before, this helplessness. I wasn't strong enough. But it wasn't my fault; I knew he wasn't human, that much was clear. But still, _I wasn't strong enough_.

"I...wasn't...strong...enough." I said, voicing my thoughts. Each word inflicting pain on me. Pity was sprayed all over Angel's face, while the rest of the Flock gazed at me with confusion. This hadn't ever happened before. It wasn't natural. Could the boy be another mutant hybrid?

"I heard that already!" Max snapped, her hands on her hips, glaring at me with anger and curiosity. "I want to know what happened."

I looked around at the eager, anticipated faces of the younger ones. Should I tell them? Could I tell them? I felt worthless, weak, insufficient. Would they think less of me when I told them about me being tackled to the ground by some _pretty boy_?

I shook my head. "Later," was all I said. Max didn't look happy. To say that she was mad would've been an understatement, she was simply furious. I tried to glare right back into her eyes, but I was all but bursting into tears at this moment.

Stupid Greek-god lookalike! I couldn't believe he had done this! Now because of him, Max was angry at me for not explaining; Angel pitied me for my obvious pain; Nudge was envious of me meeting a pretty boy; Fang was disappointed in me for not calling for help; Gazzy was proud of me for facing such a creature; and Iggy was just plain scared of whatever that _boy_ was.

I kept my distance from the forest for the rest of the afternoon. Max didn't find the need to pester me with questions, which was a good thing, but I couldn't help thinking that she would try to get me to spill later today.

Fang and Iggy caught some fish from a shallow pond at the far end of the meadow. I think it was called a Cutthroat Trout. The trout itself had a green body and a red-pink belly. The scales glistened with some unidentifiable moisture that sent disgusted chills down my back. If it weren't for the fact that we weren't allowed back in the forest—under Max's command—to catch some wild game, I wouldn't eat at all.

Surprisingly though, the trout tasted like....chicken! Or at least what I always expected chicken to taste like. It was spicy with just a hint of a garlicky taste. I couldn't wipe the goofy grin off my face as I bit into the cooked fish. Warm juice pooled in my mouth and dribbled down my chin. I lapped up the sticky mess on my bottom lip with my tongue. I ate like a cavewoman. It was disgusting, but _oh so_ good.

The only one who ate messier than me was.....well, no one. Even Gazzy had the manners to wipe his face on his sleeve before it trickled down his neck. I smirked when Nudge grimaced at my nauseating table etiquette. She looked close to losing her own supper. I helped myself to seconds...and thirds.

Peering through the flames of the bonfire we had set up, I noticed Max gazing intently into my eyes. The blaze from the fire shown in her eyes, dancing about. Her blonde hair glowed an eerie orange in the light of the fire.

The stars twinkled in the sky as a dark blanket covered the forest, the only source of light coming from the fire. The flames licked the sky, orange, gold and red in color. They flickered around like a skilled ballroom dancer.

The little ones were getting sleepier as the minutes ticked by. I wasn't surprised to see Angel fast asleep in Max's lap a few seconds later. The sound of her soft breathing made me smile. Always the little angel.

Gazzy tried to stifle a yawn that was creeping its way out of him, but to no avail. Such a tough little boy. His eyelids dropped slightly as I wrapped my arm over his shoulder and pulled him to me. He looked up at me sleepily. I awkwardly held him, trying to make him comfortable enough to fall asleep. I wasn't as good as Max with this motherly stuff.

Gazzy's silent snores filled the air along with his little sister. I ran my hand through his short blond hair, rubbing his head soothingly, like I'd seen Max do to him lots of times before. I looked back at the girl in question, who was now cradling Angel, with Nudge's head resting on her lap. Her face displayed such a content happiness, that I felt like I was intruding on a sacred family moment.

I picked Gazzy up and sat down beside her. She didn't even look up. I set Gazzy down beside her, and he automatically snuggled closer to Max. She shot me a grateful look over the top of Angels' head.

Fang and Iggy were building a small blanket for the kids from bits and pieces scattered around the meadow floor. It was amazing how well those two could sew for guys. Even I wasn't that good, although I'd never try, I'd probably just stab myself with the needle.

I helped put the younger kids under the blanket and watched as the all snuggled closer to Angel, who was in the middle of Nudge and Gazzy. Little Angel smiled in her sleep and gave a tiny snore, before cuddling closer to her older brother.

I stared into the fire, my face drawn and tired. My brows were furrowed in confusion as I replayed today's events in my mind. Could I have done something to keep the boy from seeing my wings? Should I have turned invisible, even for a few seconds to fly away? Would I ever even see the boy again?

The answer to all those questions was yes.

My eyes were cold and furious. Why was I such an idiot? I could have exposed us all to a race stronger than us, capable of defeating us. Flyboys had nothing on this boy. Unless......unless......

Unless it wasn't the boy. If it wasn't the boy, whose abnormal strength I knew nothing of, with the face of God and the voice of a thousand singing angels. But if it wasn't the boy, then it could only be one person.

Me.

Terror crept into my mind. My forehead suddenly felt clammy as I thought this idea over. My palms felt sweaty and the cold drench of horror filled me to the very core of my soul. Suddenly I felt a presence beside me. My eyes flicked swiftly into a pair of brown orbs. I gasped.

"Max!" I hissed as the blonde girl in panic, "You're becoming more and more like Fang as the days go by!"

Her cheeks pinked a little before she seemed to remember what she came here to talk to me about. Her eyes hardened with little sympathy in them.

"Is it later?" She asked quietly, her voice barely more than a whisper, though it rang loud and clear in my ears. I flinched, but swallowed, retelling her exactly what had happened, from the snap of the twig to unfolding my wings and taking to the skies.

To say that Max was worried would have been plain lying. Wide eyes stared back into my fearful ones. She was almost shaking with fear. Something sparked before her eyes.

"You said that the boy was pretty?" she questioned, with a dry smirk on her face. I smiled sheepishly.

"I lied. He was positively gorgeous, like a God reincarnated. He was so beautiful that it physically hurt me to be near him!" I ranted, throwing my hands into the air for effect. Max's eyes were glazed over as she tried to imagine someone to match my description. I didn't miss the eyes flickering to Fang although. I narrowed my eyes at her and looked pointedly at Fang with knowing eyes.

Max blushed scarlet and grinned impishly once again. I smirked victoriously. Fang and Iggy sat opposite the fire, talking in hushed tones like our own. Iggy sat there with his legs spread apart and his arm resting on one knee, while Fang lied on his stomach, propped up by his elbows.

I looked back at Max, who was staring straight into the forest. My head swung to where she was looking, but there was nothing there. The blonde girl turned back to me.

"We should get some sleep. I'll take first watch." Her voice loud enough for Fang and Iggy to hear. She stood up and walked to where the kids were sleeping. "Whatever's in the forest probably won't be waiting 'till morning if it wants to attack us."

I nodded and lied down on my back. I pressed my wrists to my chest and closed my eyes. Silence. The fire crackled in the soundless hours of darkness. An owl _cooed_ somewhere in the night, the sound echoing throughout the valley. Crows _cawed_ from the forest, the sound of beating wings ricocheting from the trees. Then silence.

_Snap_. The same noise from the forest. My eyes shot open, but I remained still. I looked deep into the forest. First nothing.....then...

A pair of golden orbs blinked into existence, swirling balls of bullion. My throat ran dry. I tried to make a sound but nothing came out of my mouth. I blinked once and....

They were gone, the black mass of darkness consuming the terrifyingly golden eyes, swallowing them up and filling the empty void with coal-black shadows. My heart picked up double pace.

Where was the creature? It _was_ the boy. It had to be. I'd never seen those same golden orbs on anyone but the beautiful teenager.

I had to alert Max. She needed to know that he was here. The little ones....they needed to know....

My thoughts came out slurred and drowsy. My head clouded with sleep as I drifted off into a deep dreamless slumber. I fought and struggled against the darkness, but in the end, failed. The dusk sank into me and I floated away from everything.

--

A/N: I'm so proud of myself! I finally got the chapter done! So what is this? Three chapters that I've finished? This is very good, for me at least.

Anyway, love it? Hate it? Review if you will, the little purple button is just waiting to be clicked. And _no_, in this story The Flock will _not_ be going to High School. They've already done that and did that work out so well? They will however, be spending more time in Forks, the reason for this will be very straight forward and simple, and you'll find out about it next chapter. Will the Volturi be in this story? No way! That would be way too clichéd! I _may_ however, bring in James, Victoria and Laurent. _May_. That's the key word.

You still with me? Good. Should I stick with semi-serious semi-carefree, or should I go with one extreme? I liked the way the seriousness was, but I'm not the judge here, you are. Next chapter won't be very crucial to the story, so skip it if you want. I wouldn't recommend it, but you could. Do any of you want a guest appearance? Want me to bring in Tanya or Jacob? You say it and it might be done. And _no_, I will _not_ be making Tanya a bitchy slut who will go to any length to get Edward if I do bring her in. I will make her try her best to get Edward, but she won't try to _kill_ Bella or anything irrational.

Until next time!

Toodles,

Lianna Weschester!


	4. Chapter 4: Sleepless Exploration

A/N: Four chapters! I thought I was going to crack by now! Amazing, I have more will power than I thought. Have any of you ever read _**'Midnight Desires'**_? It's amazing, you'll love it! Should I delete Apple Martini? I don't want to, but I might have to. I've never liked authors who had a really good story that I liked and then one day—because they had too many stories—they delete the story. Do you know how annoying that is? I could scream! But I might have to end up being one of those authors if I want to keep my sanity. Anyhow, onto the story....

Summary: Your typical Maximum Ride and Twilight crossover, with a twist, this time, Bella's part of the Flock. Will Edward still fall in love with Bella—wings and all? AU, BellaxEdward.

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**Title: **You Obviously Haven't Seen the Wings

**Rating: **T

**Author: **Lianna Weschester

Chapter 4

**Bella's POV**

--

The next morning that I awoke to, was strange. Instead of waking up in the early daybreak because of the glaring sunlight, I woke up in late morning to a dreary, foggy day. The mist was so thick, that I could barely see the silhouette shadows of Max, Iggy, Fang and the kids.

I narrowed my eyes in confusion as I took a quick 360° sweep of the surrounding meadow. Now would be the précised moment of perfection for anyone who wanted to attack us. Basic military training; _wait until the opponent cannot see you to plan your attack_. I think they also use that rule in Battleship.

My paranoia was getting the better of me. I was too petrified for my own good. Here I was standing, with my feet planted firmly in the ground, my knees knocking together in fright as I searched the vast valley with my eyes.

I calmly walked up beside Max, and just as I was about to say something, she said offhandedly, "Up so late, Bella?"

I blinked. I was really going to need to start using my invisibility if I ever wanted to sneak up on Max. But that would give me an unfair advantage...oh well....

I sighed and nodded, giving her a dirty look. Max grinned and a single chuckle escaped her lips. Against my will, I grinned. It _was_ silly. I felt like such a child.

My face became abruptly serious once I remembered why I'd been so fearful. Max sensed my distress and shot me a worried look.

"Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary this morning?" I asked gravely. My eyes darted to the general direction of the trees for a moment. With the vapour so misty and silver today, I could only see the faint outline of the dark forest along the edges of the valley. I glanced around for any sign, any sign at all of golden eyes.

Max shook her head. "Other than the fog, nothing out of the ordinary."

"It is misty today, huh?" I complained, waving my hands around, trying to wipe the fog away.

"It's horrible. No one can see in this fog. Now I know what Iggy feels like."

"So when are we getting out of this trash town?"

Max shook her head, "The air is too thick to see through; we can't fly in this weather. Plus the surrounding atmosphere is too damp for our wings; we'd be soaked by about halfway up."

I groaned in annoyance. This place was a _dump_. I was never going to come back here, between the awful weather and peculiarly strong adolescents; this place was number one on my _'Worst Places Ever'_ list. Right before The School, because even _that_ place had its perks.

Nudge trotted up to me and gave me her hand. I could finally understand why Max wanted to be a mother so much, the feeling was indescribable. Like I'd been put in an oven, my cold body suddenly felt warm and complete. Happy. I beamed down at her with so much genuine happiness that my eyes prickled with tears that blurred my vision.

Breakfast was fish again. You'd think that with fish that tastes so good, you'd never want to eat anything else. Wrong. By my second trout I was sure I was going to retch. Apparently, the fish from the night before had taken on a greenish hue that smelt of rotting turnip.

I nibbled at the edges of 'breakfast'—which rather looked like an old sock by now—and cringed when I tasted the acidy skin. I noticed that everyone was doing the same thing I was, except Fang who was sitting down with a neutral expression, picking at the greenish mold that was growing on the tender parts of the fish.

Once I eaten my fill, not even daring to help myself to thirds, I wandered a little away from the group, just at the end of the clearing, right before the forest. I didn't even need my vibrations to cloak me from the rest of the Flock; the thick mist helped me thoroughly.

I trailed my fingers on the tips of the foliage that sprang from odd angles. I wasn't quite in the forest yet, just foot from the beginning of the sprouting plants. The flora was magnificent, no matter how much I tried to ignore this fact.

This place—this city—was like a carnivorous flower, beautiful but dangerous. _Immensely_ dangerous. Did the citizens of this tiny town know about the lurking mutant boy? Were all the townsfolk like that boy? What if this was a city of mutants?

I _was_ becoming like Max! The fear that crept inside me seemed to disperse at this particular fact. It wasn't my job to worry this much.

Before I realized what was happening, I found myself back in the forest. Not very deep, maybe seven or eight meters from the border of the meadow. My feet shifted from side to side. Ever since the attack I'd been paranoid out of my wits. Sure the assault had only been yesterday afternoon, but I could just see myself waking up screaming in later days.

To be safe, I flickered out of visibility. Max wouldn't like this little risk I was taking, returning to the forest to scout out for something abnormal. She wouldn't like this one bit. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't let me out of her sight for the next month and a half for this little stunt.

I crept farther into the woods, drawing my feet out carefully, gliding rather than walking. There was no startling _snap_ or _crack_. Just a chilling silence that was somehow more distressing than any noise.

But the silence was probably some sort of warning to leave. That proved just how stubborn I was, how thick-headed. No animal scurried around my feet, no bugs swarmed around my head, no nothing. I stopped to check if my skin was still cloaked from sight. It was, along with my clothes. There was no way someone could see me.

I tiptoed along the ground, sliding with extreme precaution. I tumbled to the ground a few times, but nothing would happen every time I tensed up and got ready to fight. It was like nothing was there. But was that possible? Could the creature not be in the forest?

The answer should have been clear.

Deeper into the forest I went. Passing by countless trees and bushes that I couldn't possibly count after the fifteenth one. Dead leaves and spruce were spread around in the emerald grass. Stake-like branches pierced the ground in a fashion that suggested that they had not just simply fallen from the tree above them. It scared me slightly. Even the invisibility couldn't save me from the panic I was feeling.

There were hedges, lots and lots of hedges. Vines that winded and bent over the ground all but welded the thick bushes to the ground. I'd have to be able to jump _very_ high if I wanted to get around this barrier. By now, the fog had somehow reseeded.

I could fly, but then I risked exposure. Whatever that boy was yesterday—if he was anywhere near as worried as I was—he definitely would have gone to extra measures to make sure _I_ couldn't find _him_.

Taking my chances, I unfurled my wings just enough to give me a bit of height. It was difficult—painfully difficult—to be so precise with my movements, but in the end I managed to fly over the hedge and land on the other side, with minimal scratches and bruises. What I saw next made me gasp out in shock.

Behind the tall bushes was a gravel driveway that spiralled up to a large faded white house. Three stories high, rectangular and well proportioned. The house appeared to be ancient, and yet, so modern. Timeless, classic. Beautiful, magnificent.

And I hated every sticking inch of it.

Because standing right at the door, chatting away to a tall, blonde man was a young, beautiful bronze haired boy. With startling golden eyes.

--

A/N: Once again, too dramatic? I told you this chapter was not really relevant to the story, but I needed some way for Bella to find the Cullen mansion and the reason for why Max and the Flock would have to stay. It's fairly simple reason, they can't leave because it's too misty to see anything and too wet. I figured this would be a good reason and would work perfectly because, _hey_, this is _Forks_! But just to tell you, none of the Flock—including Bella—knows that this is Forks, they just think that this is a random town that happens to be very wet.

Four chapters done without publishing my story! I'm so happy I could _scream_. But this is killing me, I really need to publish this story _some_ time or another. I want to finish the story but I don't think that will be possible for me.

Toodles,

Lianna Weschester!


	5. Chapter 5: Mindless Anger

A/N: Five chapters! Any-who, have any of you read _**'She's a Dreamer'**_? It's a spectacular story. Unlike _**'Midnight Desire'**_ which is mostly a lust and love story, _**'She's a Dreamer' **_is a story so....powerful and deep that I spent hours reading and re-reading it. Was that _too_ gushy? Ugh, I'm getting too girly for my own good. Whatever, it's just a really good story, okay? Capiche? Now that we're past _that_, I still need to know if I should delete Apple Martini. It's starting to get on my nerves. But whichever, all the pictures for this story are on my homepage, like always. So onto the story....

Summary: Your typical Maximum Ride and Twilight crossover, with a twist, this time, Bella's part of the Flock. Will Edward still fall in love with Bella—wings and all? AU, BellaxEdward.

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**Title: **You Obviously Haven't Seen the Wings

**Rating: **T

**Author: **Lianna Weschester

Chapter 5

**Bella's POV**

--

I stood there, fuming with a red-tinted vision. How could he stand there so _casually_? So ordinarily like he _wasn't_ a psychopathic killer bent on destroying me and the Flock? Was he as idiotic as he appeared to be?

And then I did something so stupid, so incredibly selfish, so tremendously and agonizingly dim-witted that Max would probably kill me when I got back......if I ever did.

I walked towards him.

What was I _thinking_? I must have gotten food poisoning from the fish this morning! At the very least, I was still invisible, but judging from my last meeting with the bronze haired boy, I really didn't think he only relied on sight to know where I was.

The closer I got to the house, the easier it was to hear what the two beautiful men were saying. The blonde boy—who looked about the same age of the bronze haired boy, maybe a year older—rolled his eyes at something _he_ said.

I was close enough to hear them, a feat impossible for humans, because—somehow—these boys was speaking in sentences so quick and clipped that it hurt my ears to keep up with them. The bronze haired boy opened his mouth to say something and I leaned forward.

"Seriously Jasper, the hunting trip went fine except for one minor incident." He said. My ears perked up when he said _minor incident_. My eye twitched.

_Minor_? _Fine_? What was the boy saying? His _hunting trip_, as he so put it, was anything but _fine_. Fine was the biggest understatement of the year! Was this boy _that_ ignorant?

But a closer look at his face sent distress vibes through me. His face was slightly pained, like he was remembering something horrible. So maybe he wasn't as thoughtless as I took him for.

I took a tentative step forward, testing to see how close I could get without them sensing me. _Sensing me_....the words sounded so unnatural, so strange. They tasted like acid on my tongue, a poison that burned me where I stood. It made me feel helpless, vulnerable, weak. The one element that was mine—invisibility—and I couldn't use it to my advantage. Like Angel's mind reading, my vibrations were the one thing that made me feel truly safe.

And this boy was going to change that very quickly.

I'd never be comfortable near a human again, for fear that they would see past my one line of defence. My shield. I would end up worse than Max. And to think this had all happened in not even five short minutes. Five minutes to strip me of any sense of security that I possessed. Everything gone in five minutes. And it was _his_ entire fault.

The thought made the acid on my tongue grow into a burning fire. My red-tinted vision took on a particular crimson shade. Boiling, roaring blood pounded in my ears. The warmth in my cheeks was that of anger, not of embarrassment this time.

I took another step forward and the boy froze. His whole being went as stiff as a board. I didn't move. He had felt my presence. He knew I was there. It hit me like boulder, like a charging rhinoceros, like a hailstorm. I checked my vibrations. Was I visible? No, I was good. _Well_.....good wasn't the best word I could've used, but it seemed like the right word for the moment.

His hands were clenched into tight, white fists. The skin was stretched out over his knuckles, tendons sticking out. His face was in agony, his nose flared like he'd smelled something repulsive. Was that the reason he attacked me? Because I _smelt_ bad?

His whole frame was quivering. In pain or anger, I couldn't tell you. I was petrified with fear. My memories flickered back to the day before when I witnessed his great speed. I was in danger here, I needed to leave _now_!

But my feet couldn't move. My arms were limp against my side. Tears of fear prickled my eyes. I wanted to whimper out in trepidation, but I couldn't. Every single atom in my essence screamed at me to run, but that one shredded piece of fear kept me rooted in place. I was helpless.

"It smells so _delicious_." He said through tight lips. The blonde man nodded stiffly, his face an exact replica of the bronze haired boy. His lips puckered as his eyes searched the grounds for...me. His golden eyes looked half-crazed with hunger. A hunger I didn't understand. His eyes seemed a shade lighter than I remembered seeing yesterday.

It didn't make sense. If it...._I_ smelt so delicious, why'd they look like they'd sucked on a lemon? But nevertheless, the bronze- haired boy's words sent a chill down my spine. A chill of irrational fear that sobered me for half a second. And in that half second, I saved my life.

I spun on my heel, running as fast as I could for the hedges. Just as I reached about a meter from the large bushes, I pushed my feet as hard as I could off the ground and jumped clear over the hedge.

I landed on the earth with a _thump_, and then took off running. As fast as I could possibly go. I pushed myself....faster...faster.....

The mist was coming back now, surrounding me, urging me forward before I was encased in the thick, silvery haze. The air tasted sweet, bitter sweet. My legs pumped as I ran, to a beat that I couldn't hear.

The fog was enclosing around me. I could barely see. I could hardly breathe. I didn't hear anything behind me though, so I slowed down to a jog.

A ray of light in the darkness. The forest was thinning out, making room for the meadow. I stepped into the clearing, lifting my cloak off me and falling to the ground, panting. Thoughts ran through my head, spinning wildly out of control.

There were more of them. More than just the bronze haired boy. It was obvious from their twin reactions. My fingers dug into the dirt.

How could that be? Only yesterday I'd learned of this villainous species and now I learned that there might be more living in the area. _God_.......this place was bad. It screamed _leave_. The Godly, inhumanly strong...._thing_ was something I'd never seen before. It was clear now that it wasn't a mutant. No mutant had ever been that perfect looking, not even the Erasers and they had been godforsaken _models_!

Someone wrapped there arm around my shoulder and I flinched back. _No, no, no, no_. The two beautiful Adonis's had found me! _No_. I barely escaped yesterday; there was no way I could flee from two of them.

"My god Bella!" said a familiar voice, "Where the hell were you? We've looked everywhere for you!"

I looked up. Max was kneeling over me on the ground, her arm holding me close to her in a motherly-fashion that made me feel the slightest bit guilty for leaving her like that.

Suddenly she dropped her arm and punched me in the shoulder. Hard. Her eyes glared down at me with disgust and anger.

"What the hell were you _thinking_?" she growled, standing up. Towering over me, she glared at me with more anger than I'd ever seen in a person, but not hate. But beneath the anger there was something else.....worry?

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?" she snarled, letting just a touch of venom flow into her words. "Do you have any idea how scared I was? Yesterday you were freakin' _attacked_! So I was kinda worried when I _couldn't find_ _you_ this morning!" Sarcasm trailed in with her words at the end.

I looked down at the ground, embarrassed that I ever even went into the forest. How stupid was I? I could've told her! I could've warned Max to where I was going!

I was lying to myself. I couldn't have told her. If I'd told her, Max would've insisted in coming with me. Max who didn't have a cloak of her own, so I wouldn't have been able to listen in on the beautiful boy's conversation. I would've never seen the other boy. I wouldn't have known. I had to go alone, it was the only way.

And I think something inside me knew that. A part of me so subtle, so veiled, that I didn't know it even subsisted. Inside of me. Like a compass, pointing me destination in the right direction, the route to victory. Like a conscience, urging me to do the right thing, the better decision. But something more....

Max was getting more infuriated as the seconds ticked by. I was deep in thought, contemplating the idea of being drawn like a magnet to the exact place I didn't want to go to. I was _also_ pondering the possibility that a part of me _wanted_ to find the boy, even though I was one hundred percent sure that I didn't.

I glanced up into her livid, fuming eyes. She was on the verge of a breakdown, not emotionally, or physically, but mentally. I could see the pressure in her eyes, the stress from her job. The aggravation and anxiety I'd put on her shoulders. The resulting guilt that if something _had_ happened to me, Max would never forgive herself....

I stood up slowly, looking Max in the eye the whole time. Dusting off the grime on my pants, I sighed, telling her everything that had happened.

Max's eyes widened the entire time, threatening to pop out. I stopped abruptly. Max always had a lot of stress with her job and having me disappear on her like that really did take a toll on her. She wasn't too young to have a heart attack if I thought about it properly.....

"There are more of them?" Max breathed. Her brown eyes were large with fear. She was thinking along the same lines as I was, if I had trouble with one, how could we deal with more?

I nodded in response

Max turned her head to the side, not looking at anything, and yet seeing everything. Her eyes glassed over, trying to picture it, trying to see us fighting off the gorgeous beings with their strange golden eyes and unearthly potency.

I tried to imagine it as well. I saw Max punching the blonde haired boy while I fought off the bronze haired teenager. I pictured him growling at me like an animal, his arms lashing out, me taking blow after blow as I tried to keep conscious.

I shook my head free of these thoughts. No, I shouldn't think about that. I couldn't even think about someone like little Angel fighting off one of the _beings_.

Max looked back at me, her face determined and furious. The fog still surrounded us, but it was thinning out, translucent almost. I cocked my head to the side, waiting for her answer to the problem.

"We can't fight them." Max started with, brushing her hair behind her ear, looking over my head rather than at me. "But we can't leave like cowards."

I sucked in a breath. What was she suggesting? That we stay? We stay in the mucky town with their abnormal beings? She couldn't be suggesting that, putting the little one's lives at risk. No possible way.

"So what _do_ we do?" I asked sourly, puckering my lips with apparent irritation. My hands were on my hips now, my nails digging into the skin, piercing it just a little bit. It hurt, but I could deal with this pain, it didn't hurt so much as others.....like mom and dad......

I shook my head mentally. No need to think of that again. I focused on the task at hand. What Max was proposing.

The girl in question arched an eyebrow at my stance, as if she _didn't_ know the cause for my frustration.

"So....we stay and watch."

--

A/N: Ok, I'm reconsidering a little thing I mentioned in the past. Like I said, I don't want this story to be clichéd, so I'm not doing a few things, such as bringing in the Volturi. That would be completely clichéd, I mean, I cannot count how many stories I've read with the Volturi coming as a main plot. It gets pathetic after awhile. Any-who, the thing I've been considering is sending the Flock to school. And while I really _don't _want to do that, I can't make them do anything else really. I just want this to be a Fanfic about Bella and Edward, but to do that; I have to get them to know each other first.

As you can see right now, Bella pretty much hates Edward's guts. Not much I can do about it, because, as you can see, Bella is pretty paranoid about her sense of security. She really sounds like she's on drugs sometimes...oh well. About Bella's parents, the story will come up some time in the story, but not for a little while.

Tell me what you think about the school idea. Remember, they're older, so Fang and Max know better now than to go out with other people. While I haven't made Fang and Max a couple, they understand their feelings for each other better. But if I do send them all to school, I'm not sure if I'll send Bella, because Edward has seen her wings and all, and she knows his reaction to her scent, so that _pretty_ _much_ overrules that option. I'll probably make Bella sit at home all day, trying to find some clue as to what Edward and his family are.

Toodles,

Lianna Weschester!


	6. Chapter 6: Joyless Nightmares

A/N: I'm so weak. I published the story after only finishing five chapters! Weak, weak, weak! Whatever, let's not dwell in my misery. Anyone here read _**'Audio Life'**_? It's just so tragic, I've read the real story that _**'Audio Life'**_ is the parody of, but I still can't get over how sad this story is. Again, now that I have your attention, what about Apple Martini, yes or no? Majority will rule. Pictures on my homepage, no problems here. Onto the story, what you've obviously been waiting for since you're reading this right now...

Summary: Your typical Maximum Ride and Twilight crossover, with a twist, this time, Bella's part of the Flock. Will Edward still fall in love with Bella—wings and all? AU, BellaxEdward.

--

**Title: **You Obviously Haven't Seen the Wings

**Rating: **T

**Author: **Lianna Weschester

Chapter 6

**Bella's POV**

--

It's amazing how real pain feels when you don't think about it. How much it stings your chest, like it was being ripped out by talons. How little you feel the tears dripping down your face when you're concentrating more on keeping your supper in your stomach.

That's usually how I slept at night. Ever since all those years ago. The anguish was still fresh in my mind. The smell still clogged in my nose. The taste still lingering on the back of my tongue.

The taste of death, of hate, of fear. Sorrow doesn't have a taste. You can't intuit grief. It's just there, like a slowly closing wound that will never fully heal. The wound has been filled in, but the ache will never go away.

Screaming. That's how I woke up. Tears streaming down my cheeks, sobbing uncontrollably. Memories still fresh from my dream...no, nightmare. My hair was plastered to my face with sweat, my eyes caked with tears, new tears spilling from my tear ducts. The ache in my chest hurt worse than ever. Throbbing, searing pain like being stabbed repeatedly with a dagger.

I barely felt Max wrap me in a soothing hug, trying to calm me, to lessen the pain. It was nice to know that she tried, but the pain would never go away. I would never be fully healed. Not if I lived for all of eternity.

I rocked back and forth in Max's arms, blubbering through the tears incoherently. My lower lip wobbled as I struggled to compose myself. Like a child in her mother's arms. I cringed at the analogy.

I'd done this before, it was nothing new. But each day, each night that I woke up shrieking, each and every time, the wound opened again and a flash of new, intense pain hit me. Igniting the fire that burned a hole in my heart. So poetic it was. An angsty, depressing poem, but a poem nonetheless.

"Shh..." Max whispered into my ear, swaying me gently, "Its okay, you're awake now. Nothing happened."

Her words were carefully rehearsed, practiced to perfection. A skilled actress delivering a perfect speech.

It meant nothing.

We both knew it. It was never going to be okay, never again. It was merely an illusion, a figment everyone wished to believe, but knew would never come true.

I stood up. The sky was drizzling a light rain, as if the sky was crying with me. Sharing my torture. My hair was damp from sweat and rain. I was still slightly shaking, my grief not yet gone. It would vanish in a few minutes, and I would feel like it never even happened. But tonight, just as I would settle down to sleep, the ache would start again, the nightmares.

I walked to where everyone was sitting, in a sort of catatonic state. All the pain was gone now, but the numbness was swallowing me. I felt two warm arms wrap around my waist. I looked down to see little Angel hugging the life from me.

And in the small, meaningless hug, I felt every nerve inside of me warm up. The coldness vanished and I was instantly surrounded in warmth. The wound closed somewhat, cutting off the pain, letting me live for another day.

Breakfast was better than other days. More fish, but fresh fish. Not trout this time, I think it was called Cod or something like that. It tasted sour, like biting into a lemon. I didn't like it that much. The Cod was a dry fish, with barely any juice in it. The flesh was difficult to rip, therefore taking it longer to cook over the small fire we started. Luckily it wasn't raining too badly, because we were able to start a little fire.

Angel sat by my side the whole time we were eating. She was such a sweet little girl that it made my eyes water. Nudge plopped down on my other side, taking my right hand in hers. But the warmth was just an illusion, a daydream that I allowed to take over my senses. Like a drug, letting me ride on a high cloud that would anaesthetize the pain. _Ugh_, I was so dismal today.

My eyes were tired and bloodshot as I inspected them in a mirror given to me by Nudge. They hurt so badly that I wished I could close them and never open them again. Red lines made streaks from my eyes to my chin, where my tears had gone. My lips were dry and chapped, the skin on my cheeks rough.

"What are we doing today?" I moaned into my arms to Max, who was smoothing my hair. Twigs and debris stuck out at odd angles from my hair. Max carefully picked some out, trying not to rip my hair out.

"I'm not sure. I need to think of a plan to find out more about those '_super people'_ as you so called them." She said nonchalant, making air quotes around _super people_. I hadn't really thought of that much. Max wanting to study something instead of kicking their butts. That was very strange.

I fiddled with my fingers, mulling over the idea of spying on the beautiful beings. Should we risk our lives just to learn of what they were? Could I put my hatred aside to help Max? I didn't know what to think, it hurt to think of a life without Max and the others, my only family.

"Any ideas?" I asked, peering up into her eyes. She glanced into my eyes from under her lashes.

"None yet. I'm considering some ideas, but none of 'em feel like they'd work."

I nodded unconcerned. Ideas drifted through my head, but one among them stuck out. School. I was pretty sure that these beings at least _tried_ to at least blend in with ordinary people. In a school, we could be virtually invisible while we studied them and have enough witnesses to see if they attacked us.

But Virginia......that didn't go as we planned. That went horrible. Emotionally and physically. Max had told me about Fang and the Red-Haired Wonder. And I remembered the incident with the Head-hunter. Max wouldn't agree with my idea, just the very thought of Fang with someone else made her vision take on a scarlet-tint.

I looked up; Max was staring intently into my eyes. A blush covered my cheeks like a pink veil. I flickered out of visibility. Force of habit. I waited a few seconds for my blush to go away before cutting my vibrations off.

"You have an idea!" Max accused, her eyes narrowing to slits. I purposely avoided looking her directly in the eye. I never was a good liar.

"Maybe...." I mumbled, mostly to myself. Max pulled her hands away from my hair and put them on her hips. Her mouth was pulled down in a tight frown.

"Are you going to tell me?" She asked impatiently. I made it my goal to look at everything _but_ Max for the next ten seconds. I slowly nodded, still not making eye contact.

"I'm afraid you won't like it." I whispered softly, my voice like the air. Max rolled her eyes.

"You do know what they say to people who assume, right?"

"Seriously Max, I'm not being funny."

She sighed, "Just tell me Bella, I can take it."

I sucked in a sharp breath, wanting nothing more than to tell her, but not being quite able to.

"I was considering....school....." I whispered, my voice breathy like before.

Silence. My breathing stopped, the anticipation curling in my abdomen. Nothing....Max remained as motionless as a statue beside me. I winced at the thought of her face. Guilt swam in my stomach, so badly that I wanted to throw up.

"I told you that you wouldn't like it!" I whined, my vibrations turning me invisible again. A crimson blush stained my cheeks. I covered my face with my hands.

Two warm hands held my invisible face.

"No...." Max said slowly, hesitantly, "The idea is......plausible, but I don't know what the others will think of the idea."

My vibrations slowed down, so that I was barely translucent. "You like my idea?" I asked hopefully. She nodded. My smile was so wide that it felt like it should physically hurt my face. I grabbed the blonde girl into a tight hug.

"Thank you so much Max!" I whisper-yelled. I squeezed the life from her, trying to put all my happiness in that one hug. I heard her struggle to breathe.

"Too....tight....Bella..." she gasped out. I released her and smiled sheepishly at her. _Sorry_, I mouthed. She patted the top of my head.

"It's okay Bella." She cooed, like a mother to her child. Seriously, I was only a few months younger than her! "I'll go talk to Fang and Iggy about the idea."

I nodded and lay back down. The hurting was all but gone now, just a faint pulsing in the center of my chest. The numbness was taking over again. I felt the darkness encase me, surround me. Like an antidote to my pain. I let myself slip into the blackness, the endless void and carried away, like I'd never been, like nothing had ever happened.

Hours, days, minutes, I didn't know. It felt like I'd been unconscious for years. Thoughts running through my head. Where was everyone? Where was I?

Black. Everything was black, black was everything. A dark mist contained me. I ran my fingers through the haze. It felt slick, like a melting ice cube. I was damp, like I'd been drenched in water, though it was not raining. The air tasted funny. A familiar taste, but I couldn't remember.

Something hot touched my shoulder. I looked up. A pretty lady smiled down on me, her auburn hair forming a halo around her face.

"Hi Bella Bear!" she whispered, giggling like it was the funniest thing in the world. I frowned. Who was this woman? How did she know my name? Why was she so familiar?

The woman smelt nice, like vanilla and nectarines. It was a pleasant smell, and it felt good too. How many days had I woken up to this smell, so memorable, yet so foreign. Who was this lovely smelling lady?

I blinked once and tried to say something, but my words came out in a bunch of high-pitched sounds, like a baby squealing. My frown deepened. Why couldn't I talk? The pretty lady _tutt_ed.

"Now Bella Bear, you don't have to scream!" she talked with sternly, but I heard the smile in her voice. I arched an eyebrow at her. Why was she treating me like a child? I was _seventeen_ for God's sake!

Silky reddish-brown curls framed her face like a corona. She seemed to have a faint aura about her, glowing a dim pink. I found myself mesmerized by her sweet smell and cute smile. She was so familiar, her name was on the tip of my tongue, but I just couldn't remember.

Suddenly she scowled. The glowing stopped and she almost looked...evil. It scared me. Her light auburn hair gleamed a light orange color, like ginger. Her features darkened in anger. Her eyes flamed in fury, her upper lip pulled back over her teeth to release a cat-like hiss. She crouched in an attacking position, her fingers curved like talons.

And then something horrible happened.

Her skin began to peel and melt, like wax. The woman let out a horrifying, toe-curling shriek. Acidy liquid poured from all of her pores. Red welting blisters popped up all over her arms and legs. It was terrible. I wanted to scream, but the only sound that came out of my mouth was a high-pitched baby giggle. My hands –on their own accord—clapped together, in a fashion that could only be for an encore. I was stunned, why was I doing this? What was happening to the lady?

Her hair lit on fire, the hideous orange flames licking the blackness around us. She let loose another scream, her skin roasting from the acid pouring out of her. I tried to crawl back, but my body was frozen in place. My mouth began to move, but I couldn't stop it.

"_More, more!"_

It was that awful baby voice again. _No, no, no_! What was happening? The woman continued to screech in agony, withering on the floor. I couldn't close my eyes, I couldn't move, I couldn't even cry. I was doomed to watch this lady die in the cruellest of ways.

In the end, all that was left of the woman was a pool of red and beige liquid. I wanted to scream, to cry, to run away, to stop breathing in the toxic fumes coming off the acid. But the only sounds and movements that came from me were clapping and, _"More, more, more!"_

But inwardly, I was dying. Why hadn't I saved this woman? Why had I urged the death on? Why was this lady so agonizingly familiar?

Then a word slipped off the tip of my tongue.

_Mom_.

I woke up screaming and thrashing. Sweat covered my whole body from head to toe. Everything hurt. A knife was ripping through my chest, but I couldn't see it. Ice cold water was drenching my body, but from where? Every single atom in my rotting shrivelling corpse burned with a fire so profound that it couldn't be compared to anything, it was the solitary worse torture ever invented.

I yelled out in pain, screeching like a dying raptor. My body was burning, but not on fire. Freezing as well. It was freezing and burning all at the same time. I tried to embrace the darkness, but it was running away. No!

Pictures ran through my head. The beautiful woman smiling at me. Her cute smile. Her wonderful scent.

The others images flashed around in my cranium. Pictures of the dispensing acid, her wordless shriek of pure anguish, her flaming hair. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I bawled endlessly. Forceful sobs shook me. Racking through my torso, hacking through the wounds the knife had made. If there really was a gash, this would probably be the goriest thing I'd ever witnessed.

After awhile, the shaking stopped. Tears continued to gush from my eyes, and the occasional whimper sometimes escaped my lips, but for the most part, it stopped. The throbbing, pulsating injury in my heart calmed down some.

It would never end. The dreams, the wound, the crying, the shrieking. Never. Grief. Angst. What a combo. A two for one. The blade pressed deeper into me.

I wished it'd never happened. I wished I never knew them. If it wasn't for me, they'd still be alive. Anything was better than knowing me. I was a monster, a death sentence, the worst of bad luck. A jinx to whomever I was around. Someone should just kill me for all I was worth.

But lucky me, the one person in the world who deserved to die the most and I was nearly invincible. Maybe one day.

Earlier this morning I'd had Max to comfort me. Now, I had no one. Maybe they were gone, maybe they decided I was too much of a curse, a bother to be around. If that's what they'd done, then they were smarter than I gave them credit for.

Maybe one day I'd be safe to be around.......maybe one day I would be able to live with myself.....maybe one day I would be able to get rid of the nightmares.....but until then......until that day.....

I wished I could just die.

_I hope you can hear me  
I remember it clearly__  
__The day you slipped away  
Was the day__ I__ found  
It won't be the same  
Oh__  
I miss you_

--

A/N: This chapter was just to show what Bella goes through each day. Tell me if you think it was too angsty, or if I should change the rating from T to M. Really, if you wanted to, you could have just skipped this chapter, it's irrelevant really. Other than the fact that I had to establish Bella's pain. I needed to show Bella's trauma for her parent's death because that's a major factor for Bella and Edward's relationship. The end paragraph was the chorus of _'Slipped Away_ By Avril Lavigne. It was just a song I heard and thought might work.

Remember, I need a picture for Fang, any suggestions? Do you want this much angst in the story, or less. I'm thinking less, I didn't like writing Bella's pain. It was kind of dramatic, in a not-so-good way. What characters do you want me to bring in? Remember, _no Volturi_. _Way_ too clichéd. I added in the line _'All of eternity'_ because I thought it was just so ironic, and if you don't know why, you obviously shouldn't be reading this.

See ya soon! Gotta go!

Toodles,

Lianna Weschester!


	7. Chapter 7: Timeless Boredom

A/N: This is the seventh chapter of this story. Wow. Seven chapters. I'm so pathetic. Anyway, I've made it my mission to.....advertise one story each chapter. Maybe your story will be the lucky chosen one, I don't know and I don't particularly care. Today's story is, _**'Sanctuary'**_. I absolutely loved that story. Though it only had three chapters, it was incredible. I'm not very good at summarizing stories, so if you're curious, go search for it. In short, to get you on the right track, it's about Edward being Bella's guardian angel. Go read it. Now. I'm serious, skip this story if you have to, just go read it! Anyway, onto the story....

Summary: Your typical Maximum Ride and Twilight crossover, with a twist, this time, Bella's part of the Flock. Will Edward still fall in love with Bella—wings and all? AU, BellaxEdward.

--

**Title: **You Obviously Haven't Seen the Wings

**Rating: **T

**Author: **Lianna Weschester

Chapter 7

**Bella's POV**

--

How long had it been? Time knew no end in this ceaseless existence. Hours, days, months, years? Not that I cared. Anything was better than the nightmares. I shivered just thinking about them. That was one of many to pass. One of the hundreds to come.

Each day that passed felt like a century. I aged faster than any of them. But it didn't show. The line separating my inner and outer self was like glamour. I felt like my hair should be cropped short and grey. There should be wrinkles under my eyes, creasing my forehead. My skin should be soft and withered, instead of the hard, smooth texture it currently possessed. Because I felt old, but looked young.

How old should I be? A thousand years felt appropriate. Maybe two thousand? Hard to say. I cradled my knees to my chest, rocking back and forth calmly. I was in a catatonic state, the same as always.

I felt my nails digging into my legs as I struggled to keep up my peaceful facade. They dug so deep into my thighs that I was sure I smelt the rusty odour of blood. I could practically feel my face turn green. My head was spinning, the world rotating faster than ever. My supper was doing its best to force its way out of my stomach.

I pulled my fingernails out of my legs and wiped the blood off on my sweater. Glancing down, I learnt that I'd cut right through my pant leg with my nails. Right through the denim! I checked my nails, which still had dried, crusty blood under the tips.

I stretched my legs out, loving the feeling of the cuts extending, tearing the flesh a tiny bit. This pain was real, and it felt nice. I could handle this pain, it didn't hurt so much. I was never much of masochistic until recently.

I wiggled my fingers. They tingled a bit, but it felt good. A pleasant smell hit my nose, like raspberries or roses. But I'd never smelt this smell before, it was new, unfamiliar. I sniffed the air, but the smell appeared to be coming from everywhere, not just one place.

I gave a small smile. If this was hell, maybe it wasn't so bad. Heck, this seemed like heaven, but how could a jinx like me go to heaven? Heaven was where Max deserved to go, or Angel, or Nudge, or Gazzy, or...or, anyone. Just not me.

I was still in the meadow. Odd. But it wasn't rainy anymore. It was just cloudy. And mucky, very mucky. The air tasted crisp. I grimaced. The taste didn't feel enjoyable. It was too.....frosty, icy. But somehow...I liked it.

I remembered Max once telling me that she always felt alone, no matter how many people she was surrounded by. I guess what I felt was along the same lines, maybe worse. I couldn't tell. I felt like I was missing something in me, like I was half empty. I smiled. What a cute analogy.

By force of habit, I flickered out of visibility. Gliding two steps forward, I stopped, searching with my eyes for Max and the others. I spotted them quickly.

They were gathered around the small pond at the far end of the forest, talking in swift, hushed tones. I picked out certain words that made no sense meshed together in a jumble. I suddenly grinned wickedly. If I couldn't sneak up on Max without my invisibility....then maybe.....

I crept up slowly behind her. Not a sound was made. I doubted that even Iggy could've heard me. Ever so silently, I placed one hand right above her shoulder, inches away, lowering it......when.....

"Hello Bella."

I jumped at least four feet into the air, my vibrations shutting off completely. An amused Max turned around and smirked at me, rubbing her hands together. I watched her in awe.

"How did you.....but I didn't make a sound......you didn't see me......wow....." My thoughts were incoherent, a mixture of amazement and total fury. How did she know? I didn't even breathe almost! She folded her arms across her chest.

"Don't mess with the master." Was all she said, grinning smugly down on me. I grinned right back at her, bowing down mockingly.

"I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy!" I chanted, barely keeping the laughter from my voice. The situation had raised my mood exceptionally. It felt like the smirk would be etched into my face in an hour. The others snickered around us, trying to hide their smiles.

Max shook her head slowly, scarcely containing a rather large smile that was gradually making its way onto her face. "Not funny..." she mumbled, biting on the sides of her cheeks. I grinned cheekily.

"Au contraire, mon amie, that was hilarious!" I snorted, clamping a hand over my mouth in desperation to keep from bursting into peals of giggles. Something wet and sticky hit my face, sending me tumbling back. Water seeped into my mouth. I spluttered, trying to spit the unnaturally bland tasting liquid out of my mouth.

"Hey!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, ripping the towel from my face and glaring at everyone. Iggy and Gazzy were rolling on the ground laughing, tears streaming down their cheeks. Nudge was holding onto Angel to keep from falling over and Max was biting down on her bottom lip so hard that she almost drew blood. Even stoic Fang was sporting a large grin.

I pointed to each of them in turn, trying to see in their eyes which one of them threw the towel. Nothing. That was just perfect; I couldn't even tell who threw a towel at me.

"I will figure out who threw the offending garment!" I hissed, spinning on my heel and walking away. I heard their chortles follow me like the whispery wind.

About halfway through the meadow, I wavered out of visibility. I barely heard the sharp gasps from behind me. Nearly eighteen years together and they were still amazed by the vibrations. Go figure.

I plopped down on a cold rock. Propping my arms on my knees, I rested my head in my hands. Three years. Three long years since we'd gone into hiding, since Max decided that we needed to lay low for awhile. It seemed like so long ago we'd been swirling together in Malibu, the hurricane throwing us into oblivion, our first time flying without wings........ I remembered it like it was yesterday. The color, the clarity, everything was the same.

Did anyone still remember us? Humans weren't elephants, their memories faded after time. Did those scientists recall us back in Antarctica? I'd known lots of humans in my lifetime, and each one of them I remembered. I wasn't sure if I wanted them to recall us. Was it better if we just disappeared? Would it be better if no one ever knew of us?

I was drowning in my thoughts and worries. If I walked into that fateful Virginia school today, would anyone know who I was? What if I went back to the restaurant in New York? Probably not, but who knows. Seeing bird kids might make a good impression with some people.

I scanned the forest carefully. It was easier now, the drizzle was barely non-existent and it wasn't as dark as before. The sunlight was filtering in through gaps in the clouds, illuminating the forest just a tiny bit more. It was beautiful.

I smiled looking around. I hated this place, but at the same time...I loved it. Like a clover in a field of dandelions, plain but unique in its own distinct way. Even after hating this place more than anything in the world, I'd come to love it.

***

Boredom. Not a pretty sight. I was so jaded, that even if Iggy had set the forest on fire, I probably wouldn't have noticed. Heck, my head could explode right now and I'd probably just twitch a finger.

Silence. Aching, pounding silence. The quiet atmosphere scared me. _Something make some sort of noise_, I thought, before _I go insane_! It was quiet right now that if a pin dropped, I would probably end up screaming like a little girl.

Tension. I could feel my blood temperature rising to incredulous amounts. Blood pounded in my ears as I tried to mask my fear. Every fiber in my body was screaming at me to run back to the group. I was so edgy right now, that if Max said my name—even in the lightest of whispers—I would've jumped right out of my skin.

_Ugh_.....there was _nothing_ to do! I would feel like a complete loser if I walked back to the Flock, so that was out of the question. I definitely couldn't go back to the grand, white mansion. It wasn't like I could experiment with some insane power, like Angel's transformations.

The giant slits in my sweater ruffled in the light breeze, silently urging me to take flight. It seemed like an okay idea. What could go wrong?

_Why did I have to ask that?_

I unfurled my wings, stretching them out as far as they could go, shaking the feathers so that they lined up comfortably. Twelve feet, I was sure. Impressive, but not much.

I jumped up from the rock, using my feet to propel me into the air. With one striking pump of my wings, I was thirty feet above the ground. I let the cool wind throw my hair around and smiled. This was where I belonged. Up in the sky, like a bird, a plane. I chuckled at my petty reference to Superman.

Everything felt right. The salty smell of the ocean, the reduced oxygen, the damp clouds. Somehow, up here, alone and isolated, I felt...like I belonged. It was really corny, but I for once in my life, I felt like I fit in, as if a piece missing from me had been restored. Everything seemed to click in place, the wheels turning once more.

I looked down onto the ground, observing each and every detail of this mysterious town. It looked fairly normal, but looks could be deceiving. I swooped down a little, my wings fanning up and down.

A typical town infested with...beings. Like a bug influx, but these creatures were superior to all others. A regular night of the living dead.

Pretty coloured houses dotted here and there around the city, blue, red, pink and yellow in color. Perched on their standard framed-box windows were potted plants. Each house seemed to have a different type of flower. Marigolds, violets, blue bells, daisies, magentas, roses......

Rusty, used cars seemed to be parked in front of every house, some old enough to be my grandpa, others young enough to be Angel's age. The only car that stood out from the lot was a traditional blue and white cruiser, the lights turned off for now. Something in my stomach flipped at the sight of the police car and I looked away.

The trees and bushes were clipped to perfection, every single leaf green in color, not a solitary leaf another color. Not one leaf out of place.

This was the town every kid drew about in pictures, the perfectly round trees, triangular-roofed house with a square door and two box-windows flawlessly placed on each side. Each lawn mowed to precision, the grass looking like it'd been watered just recently.

Happy. That was the only word I could find to describe such a town. Happy. Could there possibly be a cuter town, a town closer to faultlessness as this one was? I didn't think it was possible.

Everyone down there had a loving family, a mother and father, and a place to call home. None of them had to deal with the daily tortures I endured; the worst problem they had to complain about was more homework, or a hard day at work.

But I had to laugh at it. They deserved to have such a content, healthy life. They hadn't done wrong in their lives. This didn't look like the town where I would easily find trouble.

That's when I remembered the bronze-haired boy. What had this town done to deserve him? This wasn't the ninth circle of hell, this was paradise itself. But then I remembered something that the boy and this city shared in common.

They were both sculpted to perfection. Chiselled and clipped looks that should definitely be in a magazine. I couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. _It was my fault after all._

At the other end of the town, there was a cute little school-like building that looked like it came straight from a movie. Everything about it was seamless. Light pink bricks without a stone missing, clean and washed. Delightful little cut-out pictures stuck on the inside of every window, facing to the sky.

Human children ran around the back of the school, throwing footballs, reading books, talking to friends, doing things that normal kids did. They laughed and sang and played until they were bone tired. But I wasn't really jealous of them, I loved my wings. I wouldn't trade them for almost anything.

Key word: _Almost._

I was fully cloaked, invisible to everyone and anyone. Shooting downwards, I landed on the balls of my feet next to a curly-haired brunette. She was twirling a lock of her hair, watching some blonde boy talk to his friends. She licked her lips and I had to keep from losing my lunch.

She looked away from him and to the back door of the school. She sighed dramatically and walked to it as a loud blaring bell rang. I covered my ears with my hands and winced._ How could these humans stand that noise? _

I moved to the side as hundreds of students ran into the building, screaming and talking along the way. Some of them looked absolutely furious, whilst others looked relatively...cheery. From what I knew about.....high school, it was that most kids didn't like it very much. I shrugged inwardly. Maybe they didn't read the rule book or something.

I trailed behind them, watching their every move. It was strange, to see the humans interact with each other. They got along so well, much better than back in Virginia. I saw kids slapping each other's backs, high-fiving, shaking hands, and waving. Each face had a warm, friendly smile etched onto it.

I followed after a girl with chestnut brown hair as she trotted after another group, making their way to the left side of the school. She clutched a few books to her chest, looking to the ground shyly as she made her way to class. No one was around to walk with her, and it made me feel sort of poignant. I quickened my pace so that I was right beside her.

The girl had the lightest blue eyes I'd ever seen, so pale that they were almost translucent. But they were deep; they held more knowledge than I'd ever seen in a girl her age. I peered closer into her eyes. They were tired and worn, like she'd experienced pain years beyond what she should. I smiled dryly; I knew the feeling.

But then she blinked, and all the weariness that they'd once held was gone. Bright and sweet, I immediately knew that this was someone I could become easy friends with.

She made a quick left turn and entered a classroom painted a sickly yellow. I cringed at the color. It was horrible, somewhere between brown, green and yellow, all smushed together. The door was made of an oak smelling substance, creaking each time it opened and closed. The hinges were rusty and ancient.

I watched curiously as the other students walked in quietly, chatting aimlessly and moving their hands in the air, trying to explain whatever they were chattering about. Their voices ranged in different octaves, some in the high C's while others seemed to resemble a low bass.

I hadn't yet entered the class, afraid that I was taking this investigation too far. Should I leave right now, or wait it out and watch for anything else that might be suspicious?

This was a question with a price too high. My conscience was screaming at me to leave, this wasn't right, I would only find trouble here.

_So_, being me, I stayed.

Into the classroom I went, step by step, breath by breath. I took in a sharp intake of air. My heart was pounding rapidly into the void of nothingness. Walking on the balls of my feet, I entered the classroom. Every kid was sitting naturally and quietly in their seats, facing the front of the classroom, everyone calm and composed.

So it was kind of surprising to see my least favourite person in the world sitting right….in….the....middle….of…..the….classroom.

--

A/N: So this chapter was irrelevant. Not my frigin' problem. If you don't like this story, don't read it. The little purple button is waiting to be clicked on. So, we can still sort of see how much Bella hates Edward, but don't worry, this is a Bella and Edward romance. It's just going to take awhile. Bella's kind of stubborn don't you think? She seems to be getting a life of her own; I'm just writing the story. Did any of you read _**'Sanctuary'**_? No? _Well then go read it now, you idiots!_ Didn't I say to go read it? Here's another adorably cute story to read, _**'Young Love' **_by my favourite young author, edwardanthonycullenlover. I'm a character in it!! But it's just so cute! I was literally squealing in my chair while I read it! It will give a whole new meaning to 'on the edge of your seat'.

What did everyone think of this chapter? I know the story is going kind of slow, but I don't want to rush everything. I want to show how Bella and Edward meet; they're reactions to one another, and their thoughts and feelings. (Okay, only Bella's thoughts and feelings. Seesh)

Sorry this chapter took so long, school started yesterday. This story will be kind of slow to update because of it. Did anyone hear about Midnight Sun?! It's horrific! If you didn't hear, go to Stephenie Meyer's website. I can't wait for the Twilight movie; I've been watching the Penelope DVD Twilight scenes all day!

Toodles,

Lianna Weschester!


	8. Chapter 8: Speechless Infatuation

A/N: The eighth chapter. I was right; this story is going slow now. I hate school. I have absolutely no time to write now! I can only really write every weekend, not on the weekdays. Today's advertisement story is, _**'Love Lies Bleeding'**_. Once again, I sincerely suck at writing summaries, so just trust my taste in stories and read this one. Do any of you want a character to make a guest appearance? Werewolves, Delani clan, an entirely new character? I have a good idea of how I want this story to be, but it's your call. Pictures are on my homepage and I still need a Fang. Who in the world looks like Fang? Nonetheless, onto the story.....

Summary: Your typical Maximum Ride and Twilight crossover, with a twist, this time, Bella's part of the Flock. Will Edward still fall in love with Bella—wings and all? AU, BellaxEdward.

--

**Title: **You Obviously Haven't Seen the Wings

**Rating: **T

**Author: **Lianna Weschester

Chapter 8

**Bella's POV**

--

My breath hitched and my eyes widened to the point where I was afraid they might fall out. The boy sat there, glaring in my general direction, his eyes as light as the last time I saw him, maybe a bit darker. Undersized purple bruises were shadowing under his eyes, like he hadn't slept in days. A thought forced its way into my head.

_He was looking at me!_ Not through me or around me, but right-at-me. I went cold. Frozen, immobile, motionless, whatever you prefer to call it. I looked closely into his eyes. They burned into mine, like he could actually see me.

Impossible. Impractical. Ridiculous. I was completely and utterly cloaked by my vibrations, lost from sight, gone from existence. But...if it was so preposterous, then why had the bronze-haired boy gone rigid, his face puckering like he'd smelt something rotten. I felt my face heat up, embarrassment coming back to me in a second.

I clenched my hands into fists and scowled right back at him. We stared at each other for the longest time, forgetting the other kids, disregarding where we were, losing sense of anything else than the other person.

His face was a hostile mask; anger, hatred. His golden eyes narrowed, glaring deep into my eyes. I couldn't help but flinch when his top lip curled back some, exposing a row of ultra white teeth.

And suddenly, he looked away to the front of the classroom, his face neat and serene. He folded his hands across the desk, just like every other sheep in this class. The only differences in his face were his lips, slightly parted like he was going to say something.

They trembled, fast enough to look like he was just moving his lower lip, but I heard.

"_I can see you."_

They air seemed to stop, everything froze. That was the only proof I needed. He could've just been talking to himself, but did I believe that? No.

I tried to move, but my body was stuck. Shock was written across my face. If this boy could see me, then he would know exactly where I was right now. My jaw was dropped, hanging loosely. My arms and hands were limp at my sides. My sallow skin even paler than before.

"_Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you....yet."_

His voice was softer than wind, whispery sounds that only I could hear, and just barely. Honey on silk. That was his voice, velvety. It was beautiful, so musical, like a choir of angels singing all on its own. It got me curious.

"_Why don't you come sit in the seat next to me?"_

That's when I regained control of myself. Was this creature insane? Did I have to hit him so that he got the message that I didn't particularly _like_ him?! My nostrils flared, hands tightened into fists, the skin stretched over to a point of tearing.

"_Relax; I'm not going to harm you right now. Aren't you tired from standing?"_

His words were trying—and failing—to draw me in. They were addictive, like a drug, so beautiful yet horrible. My hand twitched. Would sitting beside him be so bad? His facial composure didn't change as he spoke to me.

"_You're different from the others. I can't hear you."_

Of course he couldn't hear me, I hadn't spoken! My mouth was sealed tighter than the lid on a pickle jar. Involuntarily, I smirked. That was two bad jokes in less than an hour, how many more could I crack?

"_Is something amusing you? I hope it's not me. I'm just trying to be nice."_

My good mood was gone in a second at his last word. Even the boy's honey-like voice didn't calm me down. My whole frame was quivering with the vibrations, my vision red-tinted. I smiled evilly, baring my teeth in the most threatening way.

"_Did I say something to upset you?"_

A grin was dancing from the corners of his lips. I glowered at him with narrowed eyes. My teeth were still bared menacingly, clenched together in frustration and anger. One side of his mouth quirked up and his eyes shifted to me for a second.

"_I guess that answers my question."_

His response seemed to somehow cheer me up a bit. That's not to say that I was smiling and laughing happiness, because I wasn't. My face relaxed, my fists loosening just the tiniest of bits. My body was on full alert. The smallest of movements sent me crouching into attack form.

"_Why so anxious? I did say that I wasn't going to injure you instantly, did I not? I won't bite." _

His expression told me that something he said in his last sentence amused him. _I won't bite_. I may not have been the sharpest knife in the drawer, but even I couldn't miss that he'd said _won't_ instead of _don't_. My eyes tightened in confusion, but I said nothing of it.

"_Are you going to sit down or not?"_

My throat constricted. As much as I knew this was wrong, that he was evil and I shouldn't even be in this classroom with him, I....._wanted_ to. It was like his body had a gravitational pull, dragging me leisurely to his side. But, thankfully, my feet hadn't moved an inch.

It scared me, the amount of control he had over me. My fingers twitched, fighting back the paranoia that was threatening to take over my senses and cloud them with delusions.

So....somehow, this beautiful, breath-taking, stalwartly built young super human could not only take me down, run faster than me, and sense my presence, but he could also see through my vibrations. That one fact stood out among all others. He could see me. His eyes were quick enough to see past the trembling and perceive my physical self.

How could this possibly be? Even the Flock's raptor sight couldn't see past my invisibility! So, we'd established that super boy was superior to the Flock, but it still scared me. If he could see me, could other people?

I checked around me in worry. Nope. No one was looking in my general direction. Only the bronze boy seemed to know I was even in the room.

"_You don't talk much, do you? Not that I'm complaining, it's just annoying that I can't hear what you're thinking."_

That brought me back to reality, and fast. My eyes snapped to his, horror engraved on my face. Another mind reader? He could hear other people's thoughts? But not mine? Why wasn't I surprised?

I took a deep breath and parted my lips slightly. _"You can't hear me?"_ I breathed, my voice almost as feathery as his, but not quite. He smiled pleasantly.

"_Aah, it talks."_

I wrinkled my nose, memories flooding through me, drowning, sinking in the misery and hurt._ "I'm not an it." _I mumbled, my heart taking on a new kind of pain.

That's what they'd called us back at the School. We weren't even a _he_ or _she_. We were an it. Not any more important than the guck on their shoes, just test subjects to experiment on. Bodies to dissect, disfigure.

It was a gruesome past, one filled with more pain and revulsion than anyone else I'd ever met. And the worst part—we lived through it. We lived to feel every cut and stitch they put through us, for ten years. Ten years of the worst kinds of torture ever known to mankind. What kind of _sick creeps_ experiment on children?

"_Is something wrong? I'm sorry for offending you, if I did."_

His face was innocent and tranquil; the picture of perfection. The only thing I could detect that was unusual in his face was the corners of his lips, pulled a fraction downward in a frown.

I shook my head, trying to smile, but not quite finding the will to do it. _"It's alright."_ I whispered softly, not quite looking into his eyes. I couldn't muster up the motivation to keep up my calm facade. It was a lie; I wasn't alright. Never had been, never would be.

It was incredibly strange how the smallest of words could have this much impact on me. The word _it_ for example; I nearly had a panic attack with that one. I couldn't control my emotions; they slipped away like grains through my fingers.

"_Well, I'm still sorry. Why are you so sad?"_

His sympathy angered me. Why did he care what I felt? _"It's none of your business."_ I hissed under my breath, still wispy as air. His frown deepened. To the world he looked schizophrenic, arguing with himself. He would smile at times, and then frown a second later. To me he looked normal. And this little fact bugged me.

"_I'm not trying to be callous; I'm just concerned for your welfare."_

I continued to glare at him, and then suddenly, I took four giant steps diagonally and sat directly in the seat next to him. I folded my arms across my chest and glared at him.

"_Well.......that was unexpected."_

The boy didn't even acknowledge my presence, except for the subtle upturning of his lips. I scrunched my face. _"Who are you?"_ I asked, my voice still lighter than air. I saw his eyes flick to my face for a second.

"_I'm sorry for not properly introducing myself. My name is Edward. What's yours?"_

Edward. How quaint, how old-fashioned. I would've never guessed that his name was Edward before, but now, it just seemed right. It suited him somehow.

"_My name's Bella."_ I responded gently. My face lightened, the frown wiped right off my face. For someone who had just almost broken down in tears, I was relatively calm right now.

Edward smiled gently, his face looking nothing like the monster that had attacked me a few days ago. His eyes were warm and kind, as sweet as honey.

And then something clicked. Everything that made me who I was took a different direction. The universe started to spin backwards, everything that made up my self snipped away. The sun was no longer in the sky, but in this beautiful boy beside me. Nothing made sense anymore other than here and now. There was no future, no past. Just the present.

Life was no longer worth living without this boy beside me. If he left, nothing else would exist. His very existence meant the world, without that, the planet wouldn't spin. Every part of him was reality itself. My stomach twisted with a knot that rivalled all else.

I jumped up from my seat, knocking the stool over. Heads turned, but I paid them no notice. I needed to get out of here. This was wrong, all wrong. This couldn't be happening! What was wrong with me?

I spun on my heel, taking off for the door, tears streaming down my face. Why was my life so screwed up? My heart hurt. It ached to be back in the classroom with him, the meaning of life. Edward.

My feet picked up speed, my wings fighting to snap out and take to the air. I need out of this. Nothing made sense anymore. Right was wrong, up was down. This feeling would be with me forever, until the end, until I faded away.

I burst through the great metal doors at the front of the school, taking off with a _whoosh_, into the air. The tears were flowing freely now. Sobs racked through my body. My vibrations wanted to shut off. But I couldn't. My body wanted to soar to the skies and never come down. But I wouldn't.

I ruined everyone's life. I wrecked everything Max taught us. I broke the one rule that was supposed to remain with me for life.

I had just fallen in love.

--

A/N: Okay, I admit it. This was a damn short chapter. At least, it was for me. Did this chapter make any sense to you? I hope it did, or I'll feel like a total idiot. Bella's a freakin' drama queen. In the span of like..._five_ chapters, she experienced at least twenty different emotions. Did Bella falling in love make any sense? Tell me what you thought of this chapter. Since I really felt like advertising another story, let's go with, _**'Twilight Maximum Ride Project: Mella'**_ . It's a story similar to mine, but different. Read it anyway, go on, read it.

Thank you everyone for your great reviews! You're all so nice and you give such good criticism. Many of you were concerned about the angst in this story—don't worry, I hate writing the angst as well, so there won't be a lot in the story. It's too depressing for my standards, but I will be writing a bit, because I need to establish Bella's gruesome past, as her past is worse than all the other members of the Flock.

Do you remember a few chapters ago where I ended the chapter with a song? Next chapter will have that too. I'm not very sure if the next chapter will be relevant or not to the story, because I'm winging it right now, but you'll see. Ever heard of **Breaking Benjamin**? They rock! Listen to them on YouTube.

Toodles,

Lianna Weschester!


	9. Chapter 9: Painless Clone

A/N: The ninth chapter. Okay, so maybe this story is going quicker than I expected. I'm immensely proud of myself right now, usually when I start a story; I end up hating it and never even get to the eighth chapter. So far, I still love this story. I don't think I'll ever get bored of this story; it's my favourite so far! The story today is..... _**'Stay'**_. Remember, I suck at summaries, so just take my freakin' advice and read the damn story. I don't know yet if this chapter is relevant to the story, so read on if you want to find out.....

Summary: Your typical Maximum Ride and Twilight crossover, with a twist, this time, Bella's part of the Flock. Will Edward still fall in love with Bella—wings and all? AU, BellaxEdward.

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**Title: **You Obviously Haven't Seen the Wings

**Rating: **T

**Author: **Lianna Weschester

Chapter 9

**Bella's POV**

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The forest was cold and dark. I shivered, wrapping my arms around my chest, trying to keep myself together. I was soaked to the bone, drenched from the freezing cold rain. Everything hurt—literally. This wasn't the regular emotional pain; this was cruel, authentic physical pain. I was wrong—I couldn't handle this. I wasn't strong enough to cope with this aching feeling.

Gashes ran along my arms, deep and almost to the bone. I kneeled on the ground, barely supporting myself. Blood streamed from my wounds, onto the forest floor, garnet in color. I gave a hacking cough, chocking on my own blood. The veins in my arms were being slashed open by the deadly hail that was shooting down from the skies.

How had I gotten here? This wasn't the first forest I'd been to; this was an entirely different forest. Darker, eviler. The trees seemed to scowl down on me, their faces twisted masks of malice. I hadn't known much of the cruelty of nature before today.

My knees gave way and I fell face first into the mud. I couldn't support myself long enough to stand up. I was battered and bruised, scarcely able to keep breathing. Inhale. Exhale.

Each breath shook me, like I was gasping for life. Who knew the simple weather could do this to me. I'd survived Flyboys, grenades, hurricanes, Erasers, things that normal people couldn't even _imagine_ living through. Now I was weak and withering on the forest floor, because of a little bit of hail and rain.

I laughed bitterly—it came out as a gurgling sound—there was no way I was going to die now. I'd lived through too much to depart this life right now.

With all the energy left in my crippling, throbbing body, I lifted my left am an inch from the ground. It fell back with a _thump_. A whimpered escaped through my trembling lips. White hot pain flashed through my body. My eyes rolled back into my head as I cried out in agony.

_The girl zoomed through the sky, tears falling like rain to the ground miles below. She desperately tried to wipe the tell-tale tears away, but to no avail. It was useless. Reality was spinning out of control, losing sense of everything and anything._

_Her mind wasn't making any sense to her. For years she'd strived to be the exact image that her mother-like figure had imagined them all to be. Strong, tough, smart, practical and most of all....._

_Loveless._

_She was supposed to never find 'the one'. She was supposed to die cold and heartless, her heart belonging to one person. Herself. _

_But one person had changed that. One beautiful, inhuman boy had changed all of that for her. Everything was ruined! Everything she'd strived for was destroyed! _

_But, she couldn't find it in her to blame him for what had happened. He didn't do anything. Being born wasn't a sin._

_The girl whizzed downwards, her hair slapping against her face with dampness. Clouds whipped around her, dousing her to the bone. Tears marred her vision, dripping down her cheeks. Her wings folded back into her back, sending her rocketing to the ground faster than before. _

_The earth was coming fast now, maybe a mile or so from her. It was coming fast, her body shooting like a bullet, aiming straight down. Faster now, everything was clearer, sharper. She could see the trees fast approaching .She wasn't in a location familiar to her, everything was new. _

_Seconds before she hit the ground, her wings came out with a whoosh. It hurt; the wind tore at her wings, nearly ripping them off in the process. The girl let out a shrill squeal, it hurt. _

_The girl's wings couldn't support her so close to the ground, so she came tumbling to the floor. She did a cartwheel before landing on her face. Winding roots made shallow cuts on her skin. Thorns and scattered pieces of bark cut through her sweater and jeans, the skin already swelling. _

_By the way her wrist was throbbing; it must have shattered in the fall. She flexed it. A flash of white scorching pain hit her like a freight train. A whimper slipped from her clenched teeth. _

_Was it possible to feel what she was feeling at the moment? Could anyone possibly know how she felt right now, emotionally and physically? _

_She stumbled to my feet, wiping imaginary dust from her pants with her good arm. Her broken arm rested limply at her side, dangling like a toy puppet. Tiny nicks and scratches covered her torso, pieces of her shirt torn and sodden with water. _

_The girl winced at the throbbing, erratic pulse in her wounds. Her smashed wrist twisted somewhat while she turned around. The rain had just started, heavy droplets of water pouring from the sky. The water was salty, and stung when it entered her cuts._

_She splashed through the mud, her sneakers sloshing in the water. Her feet were cold with freezing water, her socks sopping. Mud soaked through the pores in her shoes. Her hair is covered in leaves and sludge. _

_With a burst of speed, the girl took off into the forest, her feet a blur underneath her. The land was unfamiliar, unsettling. She didn't know her way around these woods. Sharp branches and loose bark from random trees sliced her arms and legs. _

_But the girl didn't stop running. She put the pain aside and concentrated of the burning feeling that clenched the muscles of her legs. _

_Her arms were being shredded by the briars she ran through. Her shattered wrist was slashed at the vein, blood gushing out. A piercing shriek filled the air. She abruptly stopped running, clutching her bleeding wrist. The heavens were filled with the harshest of shrieks. Her teeth came down on her bottom lip as she tried to keep from falling to the ground in pain. _

_The girl let out a shaky breath, the pain still stinging her like a nest of hornets. Water droplets fell into the cuts, leaking down her arms. Her hands were clenched into fists, the slashed and smashed wrist burning with intense heat. _

_She walked step by step, concentrating on moving and keeping up. A few steps forwards and her legs twisted on a loose rock. As if in slow motion, she tumbled to the ground, her hands instinctively swinging forward to protect her face._

_Her shattered wrist slammed into the ground, a keening sound slipping from the girl's lips. Locks of rich brown hair cascaded around her face. Her foot was twisted, her wrist sliced and crushed from her fall. Her vision was red from pain. She couldn't bear it.....everything hurt.....she....._

Screamed. I screamed as the pain flashed behind my vision. I whimpered, sobs shaking my body. I would give anything to have never been born. There was nothing worse than this.

Something light closed around my shoulder. It was incredibly strange and for a second, I forgot all about the pain. There was no temperature to the object. It wasn't hot or warm or even the slightest bit cold. If it wasn't for the amount of pressure, I wouldn't have known something had even touched me.

My head shakily rose to look at what was touching me. As my eyes flicked upwards, I found myself staring face to face at......

Me.

There she stood, smiling down on my crippled form. Her coffee brown tresses framed her face like a circle of light. Her open mouth smile made me feel warm inside. Was this how other people saw me?

To say that looking at myself out of the mirror was interesting was an understatement. She soothingly rubbed my hair, mumbling words incoherent to my pounding ears.

"Hello there." She said when she realized I was gawking at her. She hand continued stroking my messy curls, keeping eye contact with me. Her chocolaty eyes sparkled with something like amusement and bashfulness.

"Hi." I croaked, my voice dry and raw. It sounded horrible, like nails on a chalkboard. She smirked down on me.

"You sound terrible!" She grinned, rosy cheeks heating up in hilarity.

"And that's putting it lightly," I mumbled, struggling to keep my head in the position it was in right now. My conscience flickered back to the fact that my wrist was all but torn off right now. A feeling of immense torture flooded through my vision. I moaned in pain.

The weight on my head was removed. My Doppelganger looked down on me with something between annoyance and desolation.

"You have absolutely no sense of self-concern, do you?" She stated dryly. I tried to nod in response, but the only movement my head made was an instinctive quiver in a flash of ache.

My brunette twin smiled in glee, happy to be spending the time watching me do something. She must have been insane, who takes pleasure from other peoples pain. _And that was a rhetorical question!_

"Are you _mad_?" I asked incredulously, watching her reaction to my question. I didn't want her to be offended and leave me alone here. Even a mad copy of me was better than nothing at this particular stage.

"Yep!" She quickly responded, popping the _p_ at the end of the sentence. Her pink lips pulled up into a wide Cheshire grin, showing rows of pearly white teeth. My god, it was like looking in a mirror, except for the madness. She sat cross leg in the mud, her hands folded neatly in her lap.

"I don't want to be around mad people!" I moaned, turning my head back into the foul-smelling mire. I couldn't see my duplicate now, but I could hear her laughter loud and clear.

"_Oh, you can't help that, we're all mad here."_

And then I was in the air. Not literally in the air, as in flying, but as in suspended above the ground. I felt myself moving, but there was no change in the atmosphere around me. There was no rushing wind or smell of rotting corpses in the air.

The last few events were so strange, that I had all but forgotten about my pealing wounds. The cerise coloured abrasion on my wrist shrieked in protest when I tried to contract it. My voice rang like an annoying buzz around my ears.

"Will you please stop trying to hurt yourself? Let's not put you in any more danger than you're already in."

Okay, so it wasn't my voice. My clone's bell-like voice swam around in my head. It was incredibly outlandish, to say the least. Was this how I looked and sounded to everyone else? If so, then I was surprised I'd never noticed this before.

My eyes flicked open. Bella number two's face was set, her jaw clenched, fighting some unseen force. Her pale skin glistened in the moonlight, scaring me. She looked vampiric, but so beautiful. The sallow skin seemed eerie in the darkness. It was almost glowing.

She was cradling me in her arms, so delicately that I almost didn't notice it. Her legs were impelling underneath me. She was running fast, faster than I'd ever gone. Quicker, more precise with her movements.

And then she promptly stopped. All movements ended right there. She wasn't showing facial expression, moving, talking or even breathing. I stiffened. What was she waiting for? Why wasn't she moving?

And then I heard it.

"_You can give her to me, I'll be able to take care f her better than you could." _

His voice was the same breathy, velvety one I remembered so well. It sounded like it was caressing me, so unbelievably soothing. A lullaby almost.

I remembered the voice like I'd heard it my whole life. My eyes were focused on Bella II's face. Shock was written across her features, her eyebrows pushed together, making a little crease above her nose.

"I don't think I should." She finally hissed in a curt, deadly tone. Her upper lip curled back in resentment. Why was he making the other me act like this? I frowned, my bottom lip jutting out.

I twisted my head in her arms. It was unbearably difficult, my throbbing forehead—which felt like I had a concussion—and my bloody nose, which had broken in my fall.

There he stood in all his glory, arms raised like my twin was going to pass something to him, his full lips pulled upwards into a reassuring smile, his messy auburn hair damp from the rain. His eyes were much darker than I last saw him. It was daunting—they were coal black, almost onyx—it was unlike anything I'd ever seen.

So there he stood, beautiful to a fault, dressed to perfection and—for some strange reason—relieved for something.

Edward.

--

A/N: Okay, I don't think I did as good with this chapter. It seemed a bit clichéd, and I'm not sure if I liked my reference to Alice in Wonderland. In case any of you are wondering, _yes_, creating a double of herself _is_ Bella's new power. You'll learn the reason for this in the next chapter. Why was Edward looking for Bella? If you have to ask that, then you're an idiot. Look, if you've read the first twelve chapters of Midnight Sun, you'll learn that Edward fell in love with Bella weeks before she fell in love with him. So I'm trying to follow that plot line, in a way.

Bella II is an exact replica of Bella I, but Bella II can think and act for her own. She's not like Max II, because Max II is a living, breathing person who just so happens to be Max's clone. This second Bella can come and go whenever Bella I wants it. Think of Max's double and Daniel X's creating power.

Sorry this chapter took so long. I've been busy with homework. School is really starting to annoy me. I'm getting my English teacher to correct my past chapters, so at least I have him. Mr. Alexander is his name. But whatever. I still really need a Fang for my character pictures which are on my website. The link for my website is on my profile, at the very bottom.

Toodles,

Lianna Weschester!


	10. Chapter 10: Bottomless Family

A/N: Okay, this is the official tenth chapter of my story. I must say, I'm immensely proud with this story so far, I actually finished ten chapters! I barely finished five for The Untouchables! I'm so unbelievably proud! And for all you dorks who don't read the A/N's, _yes_, creating a double of herself is Bella's power. Read the author's notes, they're important! You'll be seeing a lot of Bella II, and the reason for why Bella's power is duplicating will appear soon. It's a really easy explanation. I'm not advertising a story right now. Onto my story....

Summary: Your typical Maximum Ride and Twilight crossover, with a twist, this time, Bella's part of the Flock. Will Edward still fall in love with Bella—wings and all? AU, BellaxEdward.

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**Title: **You Obviously Haven't Seen the Wings

**Rating: **T

**Author: **Lianna Weschester

Chapter 10

**Bella's POV**

--

He looked ten times different than I'd last seen him, mere hours ago. His face was relieved and thankful, but drawn out, like he was still in pain. Like something was hurting him. But his face wasn't puckered into the lemony phizog I was so used to, so he obviously didn't smell my scent. I wondered why.

His eyes were as black as coal. They pierced into my twin's eyes as she fought with herself, her arms twitching to give me to him, yet being held back by an invisible force. She didn't trust him. I wasn't sure if I didn't or did, I mean, this was the boy I'd freakin' fallen in love with. Aren't you supposed to trust the love of your life?

This was a very bizarre situation, but for some reason, I wasn't really confused. So maybe a few things baffled me, but all in all, I understood everything that was going on.

Edward smiled wider at my Doppelganger. She yanked me closer to her. Her face was nothing like I'd seen before.

"Don't you dare touch her!" She hissed, drawing each word out in a lethal warning. She cradled me gently, careful not to hurt me, but determined to not let me get hurt by Edward.

"I can take care of her a lot better than you could. You'll be able to stay with her, of course, but my way of travelling is faster." Edward stated in a reasonable voice, "She'll have a place to stay with us."

_With us._ Those words knocked some sense into me. Of course I wouldn't just be alone with Edward; I'd be with more of his kind. More humanoids. More super beings that seemed to have some strange fascination with my scent.

"Not...going...with...you..." I managed to gurgle. My voice was thick with sleep, the blackness trying to claim me again. My attention was again drawn to my wrist and I moaned quietly in pain. My eyes closed, attempting to sink in unconsciousness. Eve in my panic induced state, I managed to hear Edward's anxious voice, on the verge of hysteria.

"You see? She's in a dangerous condition in these weathers! We need to get her indoors quickly."

His voice was apprehensive. Fearful almost. If I wasn't bothered by my condition before, I sure as heck was now. My jaw clenched as I fought back another wave of pain. The uneasy tingle at the back of my brain was somehow telling me that I was better off with Edward. How could that be?

I heard my lookalike sigh in reluctance and grudgingly passed me over to Edward's smooth, sweet smelling arms. I felt like a dork sniffing his scent, but I figured, if he inhaled my scent, I could sniff his, right?

His arms held me close to him, oh so delicately. They were uneasily cold—his arms—but I found myself loving the feeling more that I _should_. I felt my head rest in the crook of his neck. I inhaled a bit more of his scent. It was intoxicating, like an alcoholic beverage I'd never be able to have again. I savour his scent, storing it deep away in my memory.

We were running this time. He cradled me tenderly, like I was a child. All the pain in my body was erased. I felt nothing but pure warmth. His skin was warm against mine, not cold anymore. I couldn't understand why.

I felt something moist touch my forehead—his lips? I didn't open my eyes to find out, but my bunny-fast heart took off in a speed I didn't think possible. He chuckled, the laughter vibrating through his body. He embraced me tighter in his arms. I didn't object. Everything felt...right.

We fit together like two puzzle pieces. My body fit in perfectly with the contours of his arm and chest muscles. I was cradled lighter than air, yet still tight enough for the entire side of my body to be pushed up against him. I sighed in contentment. His lips were suddenly very close to my ear.

"You have no idea how shocked I was when I saw you in that state. I very nearly grabbed you right from your creation's hands." He whispered soothingly. Something in his words caught my attention.

_My creation?_

I voiced my thoughts, "My creation? I created my Doppelganger?"

He chortled quietly. I felt him shaking his head. "Not a Doppelganger. I saw that much. The creation didn't look much like you. She looked like liquid, as if she were made completely from water."

I frowned, my bottom lip protruding. Liquid? Water? Impossible. My... 'creation' was one hundred percent human......or very close to it.

"She looked solid enough to me," I mumbled into his neck, my head still rested in its crook. His lips brushed against my forehead again.

"That's the difference between you and I. I see things very differently from you."

His tone was pessimistic, like he was remembering something grave. It unnerved me. What was causing him this pain? Surely not a surface wound; he looked unbreakable, impenetrable. Nothing could hurt my love. It wasn't achievable.

I sighed miserably. _My love._ Unlikely. How many girls had looked upon this god and claimed to be in love? Too many to count probably. There was no doubting that I _was_ in love with this divinity, but there was no way he could possibly be in love with me. With plain, freakish me. Who could love _the girl with wings?_

We suddenly stopped. Unlike when Bella II stopped, I didn't jerk forward. Edward's firm, soft grip on me held me taut to his chest. Not that I cared. I breathed in his empowering scent again before sighing happily.

I didn't care where we were. As long as I was with Edward I couldn't care less. I wanted his lips to touch my forehead again, but that was a highly dubious wish. I couldn't be nearly so foolish to think that he'd want to kiss _me_. He was probably already taken—married, engaged, simply dating—because there was no way this glorious creature could be single.

"We're at my house," Edward whispered in my ear, his breath tickling me. "I must warn you that my family might be a bit......difficult in this situation."

I found myself completely confused by his words. His family was a bit...difficult? What was wrong with that? My family—well, the Flock—was difficult all the time, especially the little ones. It was a natural thing with families. No one had the picture perfect family every day of their lives.

My eyes fluttered open, staring up into a pair of onyx ones. I frowned. Should I ask him about the change of eye colour? Usually, less was more, and in this case, I wouldn't particularly appreciate it if he left me alone and crumpled on the ground. I bit my tongue.

"Is something wrong?" He asked quietly in his subdued silky voice. There was a tint of an accent in his words, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

I shook my head, trying to say that nothing was bothering me. His eyes were suspicious, but he let the subject go. My head turned to the direction he was facing.

The luxurious creamy white manor looked the same as it did the last time I saw it. But all in all, I felt my breath come out in a whoosh as my eyes fell upon the ever beautiful structure. It was so regal and charming, that I couldn't help but feel small and weak compared to it. I felt rather than heard Edward chuckle.

"It is rather enchanting, isn't it?" He commented lightly, with only a hint of humour as an undertone. I nodded as best I could in my current condition. I felt his arms tighten and I looked back up at his face.

His jaw was set, his nostrils flared with fury. Rage was pouring out of every pore in his body, but his gentle grip on me didn't change, he just held my body closer to his. Not that I cared. What idiot in the world wouldn't like this? Girl or boy?

He took a few steps forward. I buried my face in his chest, scared at his reaction. He was an intimidating person. His lips brushed my forehead again.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you, but my brother is starting to get on my nerves." He murmured softly, a growl ripping through his chest at the word _brother_.

Brother. I was right. There was more than just him. He was just the tip of the iceberg. Why didn't I see this coming? I'd just willingly accepted an invitation to go into his house, with his family! A family of _mutant super humans! _

Something without a temperature touched my arm. "Maybe I should hold her for now," Hissed a cold, bell-like voice. I smiled in satisfaction. Maybe, while Edward was inside, Bella II could make a break for it in the sky! They'd never be able to catch us up there!

A snarl ripped through Edward's chest. "I don't think so," He growled, clutching me even tighter to him. It was getting a little uncomfortable, but for some reason, I still didn't mind. My twin gave Edward a look.

"Relax dude," she sighed, rolling her eyes, "It's not like I'm going to kill her or anything." I snickered—although it sounded like my throat had been run over—at the sarcastic comment my clone made.

Edward half-heartedly let me down in her arms. I liked the way his arms pried themselves off me, seeming very averse to leave me. It reassured me a tiny bit.

And then he was gone. Not in a puff of smoke, or flashing light. Just gone. One second he was there, the next he was wasn't. I leaned my head towards Bella the second.

"Hello Stranger," I said with a smile on my face. She grinned back and I found myself giggling at the sheer resemblance between us. We were more alike than real twins. Everything from the glint in her eyes to the dead, dreary look in mine looked the same.

"Hey," She sang in her musical voice. The chiming bell undertone in her words was beautiful. I attempted a giggle, but my voice was hoarse and strangled. If I didn't know better, I'd say that my oesophagus had been ripped out.

Pain was ripping through me at an incredible pace. My heart beat throbbed in time with the pulsating pain coursing through my veins. It was back now. Now that my love was gone, the pain was back. I clenched my teeth, fighting back the screams that threatened to escape my lips.

My twin noticed my pain, but she smiled like the mad woman she was. "It hurts doesn't it?" She chirped in this strange, happy way. I gave her a look that said, _what the fucking hell do you think?_

She simply grinned even wider in a creepy, Cheshire way. A question bubbled at my lips.

"Can I call you Cheshire cat?"

It was the dumbest, stupidest question I'd ever said, but I kept a straight face nonetheless. Cheshire cat. What was I thinking? Although, it was getting tiring calling her my twin. Not many people appreciated it when you called them by _it_ or _she_.

Her eyes twinkled with glee, though there was nothing remotely funny about this situation. A throbbing ache filled my soul. Her pretty pink lips pulled upwards into a smile. "I'd prefer Isabella." She finally said. I nearly laughed. I hated that name. I told her that much.

She threw her head back and let out peals of bell-chiming laughter. I flinched from the sudden burst of pain in my left side. Suddenly her head snapped back up and she glared at the door of the white mansion.

I looked back and almost gasped.

Edward was making his way back to me, looking more like a male model than ever. But he wasn't alone. Walking at an equally fast pace with a set, determined face was an older blonde man. Maybe thirty of twenty-nine, but older than Edward. His pale skin glistened under the moonlight and all I could think was....

_Oh my God there are more of them._

--

A/N: I didn't like this chapter very much. It didn't have much of a plot to it. Tell me your opinion and please give constructive criticism. I've started a new story called, 'Alone in a Crowd'. I'll have it published tonight or tomorrow. I'm making way too many references to Alice in Wonderland, but I can't help myself. Alice in Wonderland is my official favourite fairy tale ever. In case you dorks aren't smart enough to know who was with Edward (I won't hold it against you, but some of you never read the author's notes and you actually thought Bella was a vampire!) it was Carlisle.

I have a new story to advertise! Today, I've chosen _**'Warm'**_, which is actually just a cute little one-shot that I absolutely adore. I laughed so hard when I read it. Seriously, I'm not going to spoil it, but you're gonna love it! I'm really procrastinating with my homework for you guys, so I hope you're happy. I wanted to publish this in the morning, but I couldn't seeing as how I have to go to school. Eighth grade you know. It's so sad.

Toodles,

Lianna Weschester!


	11. Chapter 11: Eyeless Puzzle

A/N: Okay, I'm ashamed to admit that some of my readers are idiots. I've already said at least....eight times to go to my homepage because of the character photos. Underneath most of the character photos are sentences describing the character in my story. Go to my freakin' _homepage_! I put the address to it on my profile! Sorry I'm going crazy on you, but I'm really frustrated; I almost got a detention today for procrastinating my homework 'cause of you guys—pouts—and now I'm getting stupid questions commenting on things I've written in the damn author's notes! You know how annoying that is? I could kill someone...... Read the damn chapter for the day and don't be surprised if it's really depressing or moody because I'm in a shit ass mood right now....

Summary: Your typical Maximum Ride and Twilight crossover, with a twist, this time, Bella's part of the Flock. Will Edward still fall in love with Bella—wings and all? AU, BellaxEdward.

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**Title: **You Obviously Haven't Seen the Wings

**Rating: **T

**Author: **Lianna Weschester

Chapter 11

**Bella's POV**

--

Liquid topaz eyes stared worriedly into mine. His blonde hair was smoothed back, almost golden. He put movie stars to shame; they were trash compared to him. But he still paled in comparison to Edward.

The bronze-haired boy in question was walking at a speed unnatural to normal humans. Both of them were. The contrast between the two of them was so comical that I almost burst out laughing. Golden and bronze hair, black and topaz eyes, young and old age difference. But in a way, they were so alike that it stunned me. They must've been related.

Must've been family.

Everything snapped back to me in that second. My family. Max and the others. How could I've done that to them? They must've been worried sick! I needed to get out of here _now_!

Cheshire-Bella seemed to understand immediately. She sensed my panicked state and tightened her arms around me. It wasn't very comfortable. I'd realized that by the size of my body—which was exactly the same size as her's—she shouldn't be able to carry me for so long. Physically, by my size and weight, she should've lost feeling in her arms a long time ago.

I relaxed slightly, though the panic was still racing through my mind. Did Max have a cell phone I could call her on? It was difficult for me to remember. My brain was clouded over with pain, so terrible that I could barely remember my own name.

Wait! She did have a cell phone. How long ago had we stolen it from Itex headquarters? It had to have been years ago. Back in the days where no one knew about us. When we were as secret as Area 51.

I had to call Max and tell her to keep the little ones safe. To tell her not to worry about me. I needed to assure her that nothing was wrong with me—even though that was the biggest lie of the century.

I coughed, spluttering up blood. My throat itched for some reason. Itched so badly that I just wanted to shove my hand into my mouth and scratch the back of my throat. I gasped, blood pooling in my mouth. It dribbled down my cheek, dripping off my chin.

Edward was by my side in a second. My weak eyes stared into his. My eyelids were half lidded, and I could feel them begin to close. I was just so tired.....it was like every movement was draining me..... I could feel myself slowly sinking into the blackness....

Edward grasped my hand firmly in his. I smiled feebly. It felt right, like my small hand was made to fit in his. I was made for him; every piece of me was his opposite puzzle piece. My injuries were the farthest thing on my mind right now. All I cared about was Edward.

My vision clouded over until all I could see was Edward. Everything else was as black as the darkness of nights. My lips parted as I drew in a ragged breath. His penetrating coal eyes stared down into mine and I could see a flash of genuine fear pass before them.

And then, Edward began to fade away. I tried to move my hand—to hold onto him before he vanished completely. But I couldn't. My arms were limp at my sides. I tried to call out, but my throat made no sound.

Then he was gone, and I was whisked away on a dark cloud of numbness.

***

It's a scary thought to think of yourself being unconscious. You can never quite grasp just how dangerous it really is. What can happen to you when you aren't aware of what's going on around you? Sometimes you don't want to think of those things. It's just too disgusting, too horrible.

Unlike now. Right now, as I could feel myself slowly drift back into consciousness, I could practically see the content smile on my face. I didn't feel scared, or even a bit nervous. I was a bit nervous about waking up, but I felt...happy. I didn't know why. Somehow, my subconscious mind figured something out before I did.

My eyes fluttered open into the glare of the morning sunlight. The room around me was glowing—as if a disco ball had been placed in the room. I was lying back on a soft bed, with something solid wrapped around my stomach.

I was curled up into a ball, my head resting against something very hard, but not in the uncomfortable way. It was like a pillow, made to perfectly fit my head. I opened my eyes just a bit wider to come face-to-face with the bronze-haired boy himself.

"Good morning," Edward mumbled quietly, caressing my cheek with his right hand. His left arm was still wrapped around my waist, holding me taut against him. I let out a sigh, closing my eyes and melting into him. I never wanted to leave. Never.

Then suddenly, my eyes snapped back open and I looked up at Edward's face so quickly that I could feel my neck stinging from whiplash. What I saw took the breath right out of me. I gasped; my eyes so wide I was afraid they might pop out of my skull.

Edward's skin was literally sparkling. Like thousands of diamonds. His pale skin seemed translucent in the sunlight. Rays of light shone down on his skin from the window, making it glow like the most brilliant neon light.

My mouth was suddenly dry and I was gasping for air like I'd just almost drowned. I tried to pull back from his arms, to get away from him. No matter how much I loved this man, something was wrong. I couldn't just lie there; I had to go find someone to help him. I needed to figure out what was wrong with his skin.

He was simply too beautiful—so beautiful that it hurt. His glistening skin did nothing to hide the fact that I simply wasn't anywhere near as beautiful as he was. I loved him so much it hurt. How could I ever expect to be loved in return?

But his arm held me flush to his chest. I couldn't escape—to run away or go find help, I still couldn't make up my mind. Tears weld up in my eyes as I thought about everything that had happened few days. And the others! I still hadn't managed to call them or contact them at all. This was horrible! They could be halfway across the country now, looking for me. When all along, I'd never actually left.

Edward's piercing onyx black eyes stared into mine questioningly. He wanted to know why I was struggling; why I was suddenly afraid of him, when before, I never had been. There was no reason for me to be afraid of him, and there still wasn't—but I didn't have the heart to tell him the reason why I was trying to get away.

What would he think of me—me the plain looking, bird freak—if I told him I'd fallen in love with him. He'd run for the hills. The furrow in my brow deepened. That's exactly what he would do—I mean, people like him didn't end up with people like me. It was like a peasant marrying a prince; and not just any prince, the most beautiful, charming, sweet prince of all times. That just didn't happen in real life—that happened in fiction, in books that had...vampires, and werewolves, and, witches and goblins.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his voice a little rougher than usual, but still the same lovely sound of velvet that made me swoon. Being flustered by his beautiful voice and not wanting to embarrass myself, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"I need to use a phone."

At the very least, at least I had a good excuse. Although it wouldn't erase every bit of doubt from his mind, it would be enough to derail him from his earlier suspicions. He unwrapped his arms from around me and hopped up from the bed with such grace that I nearly burst into tears. His body moved like he was a puppet being controlled by strings.

It was truly stunning to watch, his grace and beauty. I watched him walk—it actually seemed more like a dance—to the other side of the room, where his jacket was sprawled over a lush black sofa. He grabbed the coat in his fist and lifted it into the air. Plunging his hand into one of the front pockets, he rummaged around for a few seconds before he brought his hand out of his pocket, holding a sleek, silver object.

He strolled back over to my side and placed the metal thing beside me. I carefully sat up, stretching my hand out in front of me to grasp the object. My fist closed around the cool, smooth cell phone. I flipped it open and began rapidly dialling a very familiar number.

I pressed call and waited for the ringing to start. The silence in the room was tense as Edward watched me with suspicious eyes. I could see from his apprehensive, eager expression that he was fighting with himself over something. I could see the conflict in his eyes, could see the tendons in his tight white fists.

Suddenly the phone beeped, signalling me to leave a message. Max—being her paranoid self—never bothered to leave a message on her phone. I never bothered to ask, since it didn't concern me. It was times like now when I wished I could've asked.

"Max, this is Bella," I started, peeking at Edward from the corner of my eye, "You can stop panicking. I'm completely fine. Don't come looking for me. I'll meet you in the meadow in a few days."

I chocked back a sob and continued talking, "Say 'Hi' to Angel, Gazzy, Nudge, Fang and Iggy for me. I miss you guys. I'll be back soon. Bye."

I ended the call and shut the phone with a _click_. The sound rang through the room, echoing off the walls and bouncing back into my ears. Edward stared down at the phone, my fist still closed around the silver object. I hadn't let go yet. I just simply didn't feel like it.

I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply, trying to remember what had happened the day before. It was difficult. All I could behind my closed eyes were blurred figures, streaks of blood and a dark mist.

Something strange then appeared in my brain. It was a picture of me being carried by someone who looked a great deal like me.

And then everything snapped back to me so fast that I lost my breath.

Memories from the night before flooded into my brain, sounds, tastes, feelings....it was like every feeling from the past twenty-four hours had snapped back to me in three minutes. My eyes snapped open and glanced down to my wrist in panic. I was pretty sure there'd still be a puckered pink scar, but I needed to be positive.

What I didn't expect was my wrist to be completely free of any cuts or scabs. I brought my hand closer to my face, my eyebrows furrowed as I searched for even the smallest mention of any injury. There was nothing. I let my hand fall limply back to the bed and stared up at Edward.

His eyes were cast downward, as if he were guilty for some reason. My eyes narrowed. He was hiding something. His diamond skin cast rainbows on all four walls around me, glittering so brilliantly that it was hard to not make myself squint.

"Edward..." I said his name once, as a warning. I knew that by no means could _I_ intimidate _him_, but I had to work with what I had.

He ran his hand through his messy bronze hair, mussing it up just a bit more. I sat completely upright, glaring at his perfect face. He was only making this harder on himself; I could really care less. I just wanted to know what was making him so damn nervous all of a sudden.

"You'd better explain everything." I hissed out between clenched teeth. My hands balled up into fists, clutching the sheets so tightly that my knuckles were turning bone white. I was amazed at how calmly I was taking the whole situation. I doubted that an ordinary person would be the slightest bit comfortable around his glowing skin.

He slowly walked around the bed, to my side. His arms were stiff on either side of him as he sat down right beside me. He was so close that I could smell his sweet honey suckle smell. I held my breath, trying not to breathe in the intoxicating scent that was Edward.

He moved his large hand down to cover my tiny one. I never realized just how small my hands were before now. His hand was ice cold, but that only made me love him even more. I loved the coldness of his hand. I carefully concealed a great big goofy smile from forcing its way onto my face.

He closed his hand around mine and lifted it to his chest, near to where his heart was. I was confused—what was he trying to show me? Was his heart beating as fast as mine? Faster? Was he trying to say that he loved me as well—that his heart was mine? _Don't be silly Swan_, I scolded myself mentally, _why in the world would he do that? Learn to control your imagination, this isn't fantasy world._

But then the strangest thing happened. Something that had never happened to me before in my lifetime. The moment my hand came in contact with his chest, he let go of my hand. Although I don't know why he did, because my hand slid right back down to the bed.

Because when my hand came in contact with his chest, I finally realized the reason why his hand was so cold.

It was because his heart wasn't beating.

--

A/N: I know I could've made the ending better, but I'm having a horrible case of writer's block. I'm seriously ticked right now. Two months ago, I wrote a story for English class about vampires (I re-wrote _**'Alone in a Crowd' **_for a grade) and I was supposed to get it back three weeks ago. Everyone in class was angry because our English teacher, Mr. Alexander, forgot to give us back our stories. Finally, yesterday, he gave everyone else's back _except_ mine! He said it was because he liked mine so much that he brought it home to read, but now I need to wait a whole weekend for my story.

I'm so excited for Twilight! Only twelve more days! I've watched every scene at least thirty times. The eight minute scene was amazing! I'm probably spoiling it for myself, but I don't care! I'm in love with Robert Pattinson! I don't care what other people might say, I think he's perfect for the part. He really just looks like Edward—but not Edward as a vampire. I think he looks more like Edward as a human. What say you?

Today's story is _**'Fear is the Heart of Love'**_, which is a darker twist on Stephenie Meyer's world or vampires and werewolves. There are times where you just want to destroy Jacob—more than usual—and there are times when you want to slap Bella and yell, _"Are you fucking insane? Edward could chose so much better than you!"_ and same goes with Edward. It really is a wonderful story.

From now on, at the end of every chapter, not only am I going to be advertising stories, but I'm also going to have the question of the week. Today's question is: Do you think they chose the right actress to play Rosalie Hale?

Toodles,

Breathless Tomb/ Lianna Weschester!


	12. Chapter 12: Lifeless Kiss

A/N: Hey everyone! It's Lianna. Okay, so far, I've finished at least eleven chapters, and I've made a pact with myself that I won't start another story until this one is done. I'm probably gonna forget this pact by tomorrow, but I'll try to withhold putting too many stories out at once. It gets annoying. Seriously, I don't recommend it. I'm so glad to have my fans from my old account back. I've missed you guys! Your reviews are always so sweet! I've been getting so much positive feedback for this story, which I'm getting a good plot for. You should know—that with me—I usually come up with my plot halfway through the story. So, onto this chapter.....

Summary: Your typical Maximum Ride and Twilight crossover, with a twist, this time, Bella's part of the Flock. Will Edward still fall in love with Bella—wings and all? AU, BellaxEdward.

--

**Title: **You Obviously Haven't Seen the Wings

**Rating: **T

**Author: **Lianna Weschester

Chapter 12

**Bella's POV**

--

I think my heart may have stopped beating for a few seconds. The room was dead quiet, with the exception of my quick, shallow breaths. My mouth felt dry, my lungs short of air. This was the first time where I'd ever been truly and genuinely scared of Edward. Though he was an intimidating person, he somehow only unnerved me at times, never more than a bit unsettled.

His ever changing black eyes stared into mine, though they seemed to be a bit lighter today than they were yesterday. I saw the anxiety hidden deep in his plum-coloured orbs. He was trying to hide his worry, and doing a damn good job at it too, but I saw through him.

I couldn't speak. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. This was physically impossible. Lots of things were impossible, like humans having wings, humans being able to turn into wolves, being part human and part animal. All kinds of things were impossible, yet possible. But this......

Was just plain ridiculous.

What was he—part plant? I didn't know of an animal that didn't have a heart. Every living animal had a beating heart. Without one, the blood wouldn't be able to transfer through the body. He'd have to be....

_Dead_.

Dead? But how? He looked perfectly healthy, as if he were alive, but yet.... I couldn't even think of anything else. Terror clouded my mind like a thick black fog. I could taste the fear on my tongue, taste its acidy tang. It burned through my taste buds, numbing them.

I pulled away from him like he'd burned me. It was actually quite the opposite. I stared at him, my eyes wide with fear. I tried to keep my breathing under control. It was difficult. My mind was reeling, trying to make sense where there was none. I jumped from the bed, my back flat against the wall in half a second. I needed to put some distance between us.

It hurt. Hurt worse than any pain I'd ever felt. Worse than the nightmares, worse than actual physical pain. It was like being ripped into a thousand pieces and having each of those pieces burned. It was like _still_ being alive when each of those pieces was being burned. It was like being thrown into an open fire while being dosed in the coldest water.

I tried not to show my pain on my face. My arms thrown against the wall, my legs spaced out. I fought the urge to run back to him. Fear won over my desire. I may have loved him, but I was still as cowardly as a lamb.

"What....is....wrong...with....you?" I managed to gasp out. My mind was racing ahead of me again, thinking up solutions to the impossible. The burning fire in the pit of my stomach seemed to grow. Not with desire, but with fear. This had to be the first time I'd ever been remotely scared of Edward. It was just so frightening to think of something so horrible—so incredibly horrible.

Edward's head hung—in shame or exasperation, I couldn't tell. His messy auburn hair hung in front of his eyes, so that I couldn't see anything at all. His hands were clenched into fists again. I felt a tinge of guilt that made me push myself an inch from the wall. I was acting like a coward. While I had every right in the world to do so, it just wasn't _me_.

I walked tentatively to his side, careful not to look too desperate. Even if he heard me approaching, Edward showed no sign of moving. He had gone rigid still, impossibly still. I kept my eyes trained on the spot where his eyes should've been, had they not been covered by his chaotically messy hair.

I sat right beside him, accidently brushing my thigh against his knee. The bed creaked under my added weight and I felt myself blush. It was extremely difficult not to feel self conscious now. To make him feel just the slightest bit better, I flickered out of visibility. It must've been hard on him to share his secret with me. I placed my tiny hand over his.

The suddenly, I felt complete again. I felt that feeling of triumph, like when you finally finish the puzzle after working on it for six hours. Electric tingles shot my arm, snaking its way over the contours of my face only to sink in to the roots of my hair. Edward's eyes snapped to mine and I could tell that he'd felt the sparks too.

He frowned, not understanding this anymore than I was. For a second, all I could see were his eyes. Lighter than black, but darker than butterscotch. It was like everything in my life was thrown away. I could care less about everything else, just as long as I'd have Edward.

I'd change my name, dye my hair, and wait on him hand and foot. I'd clean the house, act like the picture perfect wife. I'd swim across shark-infested waters—no matter how corny that sounded—just to be able to touch his flawless skin.

I needed him like I needed air to breathe. Without him, I might as well suffocate. I'd never resurface, not after how far under I'd gone. It seemed pointless—my existence—without him to keep me company. I'd take whatever I could get.

Looking into his eyes, I could see all my sentiments duplicated. _He felt the same way I did!_ It was almost too good to think about. I couldn't believe it, but it was true. It was like something straight from a fairy tale—a violent, horrible fairy tale, but still completely magical.

I could feel a small, but powerful magnetic pull between us. I wasn't moving, yet my whole body leaned forward—closer to his. He did the same, his body leaning forward to meet my lips halfway. My eyes fluttered shut half a second before his lips touched mine.

It was a soft, sweet kiss. The kind of kiss every girl thinks of having as her first kiss—the most romantic sort of kiss. But there was a feeling buried deep within the kiss—a powerful, needing want. A hunger, almost. His cool, marble lips moved slowly, as did mine. We were so different that it was comical, but yet, we were absolutely alike.

We pulled away a few seconds later, both of us at the same time. My head span as if I were high up in the air. Every cell in my body was alive, crying out for more, but I was too lightheaded to move. Edward looked exactly like me, but somehow more in control of himself. His eyes were half-lidded, as if he were drunk. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine again. There was more urgency n the kiss now. I responded eagerly.

He stopped the kiss, but kept his lips pressed against mine. I could feel his smile against my mouth.

"Now I know why Alice was so giddy," He mumbled quietly, the vibrations of his lips sending tingles down my spine. I hummed quietly, trying to laugh, but being too weak. Both of my hands were wrapped around his. I felt small and delicate next to Edward, who towered over me even as we were seated. It was really quite pathetic.

"Who's Alice?" I asked curiously, without a trace of jealous. Why should I be jealous? There was no rational reason. Jealousy was an irrational emotion. She was probably his mother or sister. Edward was not the type of man who would cheat on his girlfriend or wife, or fiancée. If he was taken, then he wouldn't have kissed me.....right?

The jealousy began to build up. Maybe Edward was like that. Maybe he loved her, but liked me. Maybe I was just some toy to him. The backs of my eyes stung at that thought. I whipped those nasty thoughts from my head. _No_, I thought, _Edward isn't like that._

"Alice is my sister," He said simply, moving a bit away from me, so that only our foreheads were touching. I smiled smugly. I knew I'd been right. Alice was his sister. Then the thought dawned on me.....

Sister. More siblings? I don't think I could handle more than one Edward. One was more than enough to handle. Remembering something from before, I replaced my hand over his chest.

"Why is your heart not there?" I asked shyly, not wanting to upset him. The last thing I wanted was for Edward to be mad at me. He smiled grimly and shook his head. His smile didn't touch his eyes though.

"My heart is there...." He started, and then cut himself off. I could see the conflict in his eyes. He _wanted_ to tell me, but he wasn't sure how. It must've been so very difficult for him to tell me his secret. With a sudden jolt, I realized I was still invisible. It brought up a question that I'd been dying to ask.

"How can you see me?"

He frowned, as if also suddenly realizing that I was invisible. He brought one cold hand up to my face, cupping my cheek with the palm of his hand. I felt a blush rise to my cheeks, and Edward gave a dazzling crooked half-smile. He mumbled something that sounded a lot like _so warm._

"I'm not entirely sure why," Edward started, talking more to himself than to me, "Seeing as how I'm not very familiar with the dynamics of your ability to turn invisible—" I cut him off.

"They're vibrations." I said quickly, closing my eyes and waving a hand in front of my face, telling him to go on. I saw a look of confusion pass before his eyes before a great beaming smile took its pace.

"That would explain it!" He exclaimed cheerfully. He looked like a child opening his presents on Christmas morning. A smile slowly stretched out on my face as I took in his unexplained glee.

"It's so simple now!" He exclaimed, his voice filled with joy, "Of course I could see you!"

I cocked my head to the side; silently urging him to explain to me what this sudden burst of happiness was about. He did not disappoint.

"Remember when I told you that cryptic remark about how I see things clearer than you?" He asked. It was difficult to refresh my memory back to yesterday. It seemed like my memories had dimmed, only shadows of what had really happened.

"I wasn't lying," He continued, "I really do see things better. My eyesight is much more enhanced than a human's."

I nodded, content with his speech. It seemed reasonable, him having better eyesight than a human. I mean seriously, with what I'd witnessed, how could I not believe tha—Holy Crow.

It finally sunk in. Granted it'd taken a few seconds, but it did sink it. Though this time, I wasn't scared. A little nervous, yes, but more curious than anything. I'd kind of already guessed that he wasn't human. I really didn't expect him to be; after all that'd happened. It wouldn't seem right for him to be a dead human. I mentally gagged. Even if I loved him, _I'd just kissed a dead guy!_

I heard him sigh as he realized I'd caught his mistake. It was the kind of sigh usually heard before an exceptionally long story was about to be told. I'd only heard it once before, but it'd been years ago—a different life, and a different person. I'd been a different Bella Swan back then—not incredibly different, but enough for me to be an entirely different person now.

"Bella," He started, exhaling for a second, "I have a little story to tell you."

--

A/N: So? Love it? Hate it? Review please—the button is _so_ much bigger now. So they finally kissed. Only took twelve chapters. Ain't that the icing on the cake? I don't think I've ever said it before, but in case you haven't noticed, there aren't going to be any giant whopping lemons in this story. It's going to be moderately clean, with the exception of the gore, but I can't seem to help it. I kind of like the angsty scenes.

Ugh....I wish my mom had never forced me to delete my stories on my old account. I miss all my old reviews and readers. I miss you guys so much! And for all my loyal readers who've stayed with me during all of this—thank you! I'm going through some family issues right now (Divorce) and it's really taking its toll on me. My family isn't going through one of those "clean, easy-break divorces" this is ten times worse. That's why I love my writing so much. It's really helping me.

Do you think I made them move too fast? I mean, they only met like a week ago. She used to hate Edward, and now she kissed him! Bella's character is getting very difficult for me to write. Every time something new comes up, I end up acting like I would in real life. I'm trying to make Bella's unpredictable, but I end up making her act like me. I'm pretty sure we'd all be scared if we felt where someone's heart should've been and then felt nothing.

Have I said yet? I'm going to the Twilight movie this Wednesday because my best friend—Brianna—won tickets to go see it!! I bet a bunch of you also won tickets, so this is awesome if you have! I cannot wait! I get to see it before all my friends!!!!! It's amazing!

Toodles,

Lianna Weschester (Even if my account is Breathless Tomb, this is how all my old readers know me as)


	13. Chapter 13: Countless Cuts

A/N: Hey. How're all you doing? I'm doing well. Gotta bunch of guitar homework that I should be doing, but I'm not, because that's how much I love you guys!!! I do like guitar, but my teacher is......annoying. Maybe I should get to work on my music practice. Do you guys think I made them move too fast? Do any of you even read the author's notes? I usually don't, but now I wish I did more often. Have any of you heard the Twilight album? It rocks!!! Love it! I downloaded it the day it came out! The Twilight movie was spectacular!!! Have any of you seen it? I have a question for all my readers who read the A/N's. I might already know the answer, but I need to be sure. You know how the Cullen's all glow under sunlight, well, I just need to know if they'll also glow under a _**really**_ bright light. I don't think they will, but I need to know. Please help me out! Thank you!

Summary: Your typical Maximum Ride and Twilight crossover, with a twist, this time, Bella's part of the Flock. Will Edward still fall in love with Bella—wings and all? AU, BellaxEdward.

--

**Title: **You Obviously Haven't Seen the Wings

**Rating: **T

**Author: **Lianna Weschester

Chapter 13

**Bella's POV**

--

"I was born a long time ago," He started, his eyes suddenly a thousand years away, "Years before your grandparents were probably even thought of.

"Back then, I wasn't like I am today. I was a normal human boy, with dreams and hopes. No matter how corny that sounds, it was true." He looked down on, smiling crookedly, but it didn't reach his eyes. He continued on with his story.

"Though I feel terrible about it now, back then, I was spoiled beyond belief. As a child I was showered with the latest toys and clothes. My family had always been wealthy. I've always been surrounded by wealth."

It wasn't difficult to believe that Edward had always lived the high life. He was the kind of guy who was made to live that kind of life. He had the charm, the grace, the personality. He had everything and more, so I was very sceptical about his attraction to me. When you could have anything in the world, why settle for second best?

He took a deep breath before continuing with the story, "I'd also been extremely arrogant back then. Back when not many people had the money my family did, I thought that I was some kind of God.

"Especially about my looks. I'd had countless women try to court me, no matter how backwards that was." He grinned again, but this time, it was a genuine grin. I could see the mirth in his eyes. He really was amused by how backwards the scenario was. Something in my stomach brewed at the mention of _countless women_. His moment of joy lasted a minute before he added, "I refused all of them."

The blaze of raw jealousy in my stomach died down. This was all so foreign to me. I wasn't sure how to control my anger and jealousy very well. I was surprised I knew what jealous felt like, seeing as how I think I'd only ever been jealous once, and it had been because I'd been envious of Max's seniority.

"But, if you didn't want them...." I started, my eyes downcast, "Why me?"

I expected him to laugh at my pathetic expression, but he didn't. I felt his large, cold hand ruffle my hair playfully. He chuckled under his breath, but it didn't appear to be directed at me.

"Oh Bella," He said, and I could hear the smile in his voice, "Even back then, when I was so young and naive, I knew what I was looking for."

His palm cupped under my chin and lifted my head up to look at him. I was met with the sight of his beautiful plum-coloured eyes staring gently into mine. "I was looking for you." He whispered and I melted where I sat.

It was amazing what this man could do to me with such few words. Actually, even him just looking at me sent my heart into a speeding frenzy. I smiled at him and he leaned down to give me a sweet peck on the lips again. It took most of my self control to keep from spontaneously combusting.

He pulled away and looked down on me, grinning from ear to ear. "I can hear your heart racing." He said, the grin never leaving his face. I swatted his arm playfully, "Keep telling your story, funny boy."

He complied, "As I was saying, I was obscenely arrogant. I was obsessed with myself—never gave anyone else a second though, not even my parents.

"I lived in Chicago most of my life, except for the occasional vacation to Europe and school trips to Hawaii."

I laughed, "Vacationing in Europe? School trips to Hawaii? Oh, you must've had a horrible childhood!"

He joined my laughter, but his had an edge to it. His grip on my hands tightened considerably, but not enough to hurt. "Enough laughter at my expense," He said, glaring down at me, but the amusement was clear in his eyes. I waved my hands in front of me in the universal _continue_ sign. He obliged.

"Carlisle—my father-creator—found me on my seventeenth birthday. I was in the hospital that he worked at and dying of the Spanish Influenza." His voice was a whisper now. I felt my eyes widen when he said _dying_. How terrible it must've been for him. How very painful.

Heck, it couldn't be worse than some of the thing I'd felt before.

Edward carried on with his story, "My parents had already died and I was expected to die any hour. That was why Carlisle chose me. In the midst of the entire epidemic, no one would even notice my disappearance. All I remember of my last month as a day as a human is Carlisle taking me from the hospital. After that, I just remember the excruciating pain of being turned into what I am today."

That brought up the question that had been on my mind since I'd first seen his glittering skin. If he wasn't a human, what was he? I voiced my question carefully, wary of how I phrased my question.

Edward frowned. Even with my hesitant question, he was still battling with himself on how he was going to tell me. It must've been something big. Something _huge_.

I didn't realize I was biting my lip before I tasted the familiar metallic flavour of blood. The scent coming from the blood blew around the room, ricocheting off the walls and bouncing back to me. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. It smelt so _bad_. I glanced up at Edward's face and gasped at what I saw.

His eyes were zeroed in on the small cut my teeth had made on my bottom lip, but his eyes weren't disgusted, they were......hungry. He leaned forward until our lips were a centimetre apart. I closed my eyes—anticipating a kiss—when I felt something cold and wet lick my bottom lip on the cut. My eyes snapped open but I was in too much shock to move.

Edward licked the blood leaking from the wound like a starving man drinking water. He lapped at the cut until it sealed itself up, leaving only an angry pink, puckered mark. He pulled away from my face to stare into my eyes. What he saw must've satisfied him.

I wasn't scared. No way. After everything that had happened today and yesterday, there was no possible way I could be afraid of _anything_. I was shocked however. Had it been any other person on the world, I would've thought them crazy. After listening to Edward's story and learning of his death, I didn't doubt his credibility for a second.

He was a vampire.

At least, that's what I was pretty sure he was. All the facts pointed to this one solution. I wasn't an expert on mythology, but I was pretty sure that a dead person that loved the taste of blood was a vampire. Edward was a vampire.

"You're......a v-vampire?" I asked, stuttering over the word. He gave a curt nod. I looked away, trying to think everything over. I was in a houseful of vampires. And I was injured from the night before when I sliced my wrist open.

Wait a second.

It just dawned on—it probably shouldn't have taken so long—that I was in no pain whatsoever, with no blemishes or cuts anywhere on me. That shouldn't be possible. According to what happen last night—even with my super healing—I should still be unconscious.

"Why am I not hurt?" I asked Edward, my tone sharper than intended. I wasn't going to fix it now. I might as well work with what I had. My eyes narrowed in accusation. I already had a rough idea of what had happened, but I needed to be sure.

Edward smiled sheepishly, "I did the same thing that I did to your lip."

I touched my lip lightly, remembering how it'd mended up after he licked it. A thought came to me and I removed my fingers from my lip to clench my hands into fists. "You licked my body?" I asked accusingly, but without the slightest bit of disgust. I wasn't going to tell him that though.

Edward's expression was one of pure horror. I was fairly certain that if he could blush, his cheeks would be redder than mine had _ever_ been in my long lifetime of excessive blushing.

"Don't be silly!" He spluttered, "Only your wrist was really injured. The rest of your body healed somehow on its own. Even your wrist, which was also broken. Carlisle only had to hold it straight while it mended itself. It took all night, but it worked."

"Then why isn't there even a mark!" I yelled, pointing at my wrist. It was taking a lot of energy to keep my laughter back, "There should be a mark!"

"The cut healed itself after I...." He was too embarrassed to say _licked_. I couldn't say I blamed him; I'd be embarrassed to, if it were me. But it wasn't, so I was good to go.

"So, what now, your spit has magical healing powers?" I asked sarcastically, rolling my eyes. It was amazing how this conversation had gone from the serious topic of his death, to spit. Seriously, how in the world had that happened?

"Actually it does!" He said, with as much force as a five-year old. He closed his eyes and turned away from me, embarrassed, annoyed and just a little amused. I giggled and his head turned back to me. A goofy smile was plastered on my face, the kind that said _you're-such-a-dork_.

"It's the venom in my saliva," He offered as explanation, "Since, the venom coursing through my veins, is what keeps me indestructible, Carlisle figured that it would heal your cut."

I raised an eyebrow, "Wouldn't the venom have turned me into a vampire?"

"The venom needs to be directly injected into the vein in order for it to work."

I nodded, suddenly silent, my eyes downcast. I didn't tell him, but...I _wanted_ to become a vampire. I _wanted_ a reason to stay with Edward forever. I _wanted_ a reason to literally never ever have to leave him. But I wouldn't tell him that. I could sense that he probably wouldn't be happy if I told him.

I felt his cold fingers gently push a lock of hair from in front of my eyes. I looked up to see Edward grinning down on me. His eyes were curious, staring _at_ my eyes, but not into them.

"I never noticed," He started, searching for the right words, "That your eyes glow amber in the sunlight."

I smiled. I'd taken him long enough to notice that. It was true; my eyes did glow gold in the sunlight. It was actually a strange sight to see. In any other light, my eyes were a dark brown, but if even a sliver of light or a _very_ bright light hit my face, my eyes glowed a golden colour. It'd scared Max and the others on numerous occasions.

Edward was suddenly standing, his arm out as if to help me get up. My hand slipped snugly into his and he pulled me up. I nearly tripped over my feet coming up, but Edward caught me. He smiled gently, like someone smiling down at their most prized possession. No. I must've been mistaken. He couldn't possibly think that way of _me_.

"Come with me," He said, the smile staying the same, "I'm going to take you on a tour of the house."

--

A/N: Did you guys like the chapter? I hope you did. If you don't, then why the hell are you reading the thirteenth chapter? You're an idiot if you don't like this story and you're on this chapter! Please leave a nice, shiny review for me. I'm not lying when I say that reviews are better than candy. And hugs. And chocolate. But not Edward. If I had Edward, I wouldn't even be writing on this site. No offense or anything. *Smiles innocently*

Twilight movie. Too good for words. I think I fainted a bit during it. Although that might be because I started hyperventilating when I saw Edward. Have any of you seen it? My bestest friend, Brianna, won tickets to see it Wednesday! Isn't she the best? Send me reviews saying how good she is. She's actually starting a story on this site. When she posts it, I'll tell EVERYONE.

Umm.....Oh yeah! The question of the day: Like I said up at the top of the story, can the Cullen's glow under a really bright light, or only under the sun. I need to know, because while I'm sure they can only sparkle under the sunlight, I need to know. The story I'm advertising today is _**'Imagination Land'**_. Daddy's Little Cannibal is an amazing writer. You guys should go read her stuff. Now. Or else. Because this author's note is over.

Toodles,

Lianna Weschester!


	14. Chapter 14: Fearless Defiance

A/N: _**GIANT PURPLE MONKEYS BUY PLANE TICKETS TO JAPAN!**___If that didn't get your attention, then I'm not sure what will. I try to write as much as possible, never more than a week or so; it depends on how much homework. I have excessive amounts of homework, just for your information. My teachers find it funny to overload us with homework. Just to inform you, after this story is done, I'm going to start working on an AU story about Jasper and Alice. I want to do at least one AU story with each of the cannon couples. That includes Jacob and Nessie. I'll find a way to do them. Don't you worry your pretty little heads. I think my next story, with Jasper and Alice, will be about ghosts. You'll have to read it when I'm done this story, which will probably only be a few more chapters. I wanted to do a chapter on the tour of the mansion, but that would take too long. So, onto the story....

Summary: Your typical Maximum Ride and Twilight crossover, with a twist, this time, Bella's part of the Flock. Will Edward still fall in love with Bella—wings and all? AU, BellaxEdward.

--

**Title: **You Obviously Haven't Seen the Wings

**Rating: **T

**Author: **Lianna Weschester

Chapter 14

**Bella's POV**

--

I couldn't even begin to put into words how beautiful Edward's house was. I'd seen castles that weren't as majestic. As gorgeous. It was indescribable. It was modernized, with just that touch of antiqueness that made it just _that_ much better. It couldn't even be considered a house, though that was how Edward referred to it.

"I take it you like the house?" Edward teased, his eyes gleaming with genuine curiosity. I smiled and nodded. I was speechless, my breath having long gone about an hour back, during the start of the tour.

His cool hand held mine, dragging me through the house—literally. He was so excited for me to meet his siblings and parents, who were all waiting in the next room. The last room of our journey. I was incredibly nervous, but I kept my spirits high and walked along beside him. It was adorable to see him in such a happy mood. He really did like being with me.

Every time the realization hit me just as hard as the first time.

His pale hand gripped the silver doorknob and turned. There was a tiny _click_ and the door swung open. I gulped involuntary. This was it. I was finally going to meet his beautiful vampire family. I was anxious to meet them, terrified. Terrified of being humiliated.

We stepped into the room and six pairs of eyes landed on me. Each of them was the same brilliant shade of topaz as Edward's had been. Maybe they'd just recently fed. None of them had the same slightly hunger-crazed look as Edward had at times when his control slipped. Every time it slipped he looked on the brink of just going on a wild rampage and tearing me apart. I knew he wouldn't though.

Because he was Edward.

Each of the vampires in the room were beautiful—though none as gorgeous as Edward. Each in their own unique way. Each of them seemed to have the same tranquil, curious look in their eyes. Everyone except one.

She was breathtaking. Like a runway model, or a princess from a fairy tale. She was flawless. Her skin was like porcelain, delicate and unblemished. Wavy locks of golden blond hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall. Her clear golden eyes glared into mine, her nose wrinkled in distaste. Hate was clear on her face. One of her legs crossed over the other on the couch she was sitting on.

Beside her sat a rather muscular man. Steel bands of muscle wrapped his arms and torso. His hands clutched his knees and he was leaning forward slightly. All in all, he looked like a very intimidating man, except for his face. He portrayed the careful innocence of a child, which was very out of place on a grown man's—vampire's—face. His curly dark brown hair curled slightly behind his ears, and his topaz eyes sparkled with something like delight and mischief, like a child. One of the blond girl's arms was looped through his, so they must've been a couple.

Across the room stood another couple, their expression calmer than the other two.

The smaller one was petite enough to be mistaken for a pixie. Her glossy black hair was cut short and spiked out in different directions, which somehow suited her elfish feature. Her slender, fragile-looking fingers were clasped together, a small smile on her shiny pink lips. Her narrow shoulders were tense with a kind of excitement. She adorned a silky silver dress that was tight at her waist and loose from her hips down. She wore the prettiest strappy silver heels, but still looked completely casual on her.

The man—vampire—beside her seemed to be a little tense. His shoulders were stiff and he held on tightly to the raven-haired girl's arm. His blond hair, almost the exact same shade as the blond girl, stood up as bed head. Not as messy as Edward's, but still messy nonetheless. He was the same man I'd seen with Edward the first day I'd seen this house. My lips puckered at the unpleasant memory. A slight furrow between his brows appeared, but nothing else to register that he'd even noticed my presence.

Suddenly a lovely looking woman stepped forward, her arms spread apart in a gesture that meant she was waiting for her hug to be received.

"Good morning, Edward," She said in a motherly voice. It sounded so.....familiar. Like I'd heard it somewhere before, though not nearly as musical, but all the same. I tried to search through my mind for the memory of the familiarity, but I found nothing.

Edward reluctantly let go of my hand to envelope the lady in a warm hug. Another man walked up to the lady's side and rested a hand on her shoulder. He was the man I'd seen the night before, walking towards me before I sank into unconsciousness. Now that I stared at them clearer, I could see the sheer resemblance between them. Like a father and son. The resemblance was small, but it was there.

My hand felt empty without his. As if reading my mind, Edward released the lady and walked back over to my side. I looked out into the sea of beautiful vampires and gave a timid, "Hi!"

The elfin girl pranced over to my side and hugged me with enough force to remove the air from my lungs. She squeal like an obsessed fan girl and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. I hadn't seen that coming at all.

Apparently neither had the other vampires.

"Umm....Alice?" Edward said hesitantly, "What are you doing?" His eyes were wary, as if he trusted her, but didn't know why he did. I felt kind of the same way, but it was different in a way. Edward might've had a reason to trust her. I didn't. All I knew was that she happened to be a pixie-like vampire who was related to the love of my life. It sounded corny even as I thought it.

"Isn't it obvious?" The spike-haired girl—Alice—said, with a casual wave of her hand, one arm still around my waist, "I'm hugging my new best friend, Bella."

Edward looked confused for a moment before Alice's eyes seemed to cloud over and he stopped moving all together. He started muttering under his breath. Words like _no, no, no, I won't let it happen_. I was puzzled to say the least. Finally, Edward and Alice snapped out of their trance-like states. Alice had a smug smile on and Edward was barring his teeth in a menacing way.

"That will not happen." Edward snapped, his teeth clanking together. "I won't let it."

Alice shrugged her little shoulders and released me from her grasp. "It's inevitable," She said in a fashion that seemed almost conceited. She turned around and walked away, raising one finger towards the blond haired younger man, saying, "C'mon Jasper."

The blond boy—Jasper—glanced apologetically at Edward, before jogging off to Alice's side. I waited until they were out of sight before turning to Edward. He smiled sheepishly, as if trying to blame Alice's eagerness on some sort of mental disorder.

"We think something went wrong during her transformation," He said as explanation. I giggled, before realizing that we still weren't alone. I turned around, expecting to see negative reactions all around. I wasn't the perfect girl in the world, and I knew it.

Their expressions shocked me.

They each had a large grin on their face except for the beautiful blond, who sat with a permanent scowl sketched into her china features. It looked like she would break, by the force being placed on her face.

"Sheesh Edward," said the burly one, "And here I was thinking you were gay! You should've given us some sort of hint that you were dating a girl!"

"And a human girl at that!" hissed the blond girl. Her voice was like golden wind chimes—breathy and musical. It seemed to echo in the large room, but I knew that was probably how she always sounded. Her unfriendly tone made me the slightest bit uncomfortable. I didn't want people hating me, I didn't mind if they didn't like me, but this girl looked like she thought I was the scum of the earth.

"Be nice Rosalie," said the caring woman. She looked slightly disappointed at the blond girl but when she looked at me; her face was suddenly beaming with a smile. She rushed forward to encase me in a hug. I'd never felt so loved in my life. It was a beautiful thing.

"Welcome to our home, Bella!" She whispered in my ear. I said my thanks and she released me. She turned her head back to the others and barked, "Introduce yourselves!" but she said it in a way to sound playful, with a hint of authority.

The man-child waved his hand at me, "I'm Emmett!"

The blond girl said passively, "Rosalie." Her introduction was short and curt, and she didn't even bother to look me in the eyes. As if it would be beneath her to show some manners. How rude of her.

The blond man was next, "Hello Bella, my name is Carlisle." His smile was every bit as friendly as Alice and Emmett, though not as overly cheerful. While Alice and Emmett looked like mischievous children, Carlisle just looked like a father would look. Like a father should look like.

The woman was the last, as she introduced herself as Esme. They were all wonderful people, these vampires—with the exception of Rosalie, but I wasn't sure of what to think of her. Maybe she'd had a bad day, or just resented me because of the fact that I was a human in the middle of vampires.

Maybe I'd never know. It didn't seem like something that concerned me. Maybe if she knew the real me, she wouldn't feel so abnormal. A monster. A freak. I knew what that could feel like. To feel like even the lowest of the lowest were better than you because at least they weren't different from any other human. In physical sense that it. Humans are ignorant. They thought being 'different' meant having a different hair colour or being of a different race or culture. If they'd knew for one second about what _real_ freaks looked like....

I didn't even want to think about it.

***

**I was **looking for Edward, who'd mysteriously vanished about a half hour ago. He told me to stay put while he went to talk to Carlisle, but everyone of my instincts were telling me to go look for me.

I was literally shaking with anxiety. My nerves were a wreck without Edward around to keep me sane. I rolled my shoulders, which were straining with pressure, but not from the stress. I _really_ needed to fly right _now_. It was like being kept in a box with a lock on it.

The new sweater that I was wearing had no slits in it. The shirt underneath it did, but this new black sweater had nothing. They must've thought I'd ruined my old sweater, but had not seen the back of my shirt. I needed to somehow get outside and fly. I hoped they trusted me enough to know that I wouldn't fly away. No matter how much Rosalie wished I would.

I turned a corner and heard murmurings at the end of the hallway. They were hushed murmurs, but not by much. I really wished that I could hear them, so I glided closer to the door, grateful that the floor never once cracked.

The whispers got louder the closer I got to the door. I could distinctly hear certain voices now, but still not words. I heard Edward's voice—the honey-suckle voice—and Rosalie's voice—the golden wind chimes voice. I could hear another voice, but it wasn't as familiar. I think it might've been Emmett's voice though.

I was right outside the door now, my ear pressed up against the wood. I could hear the muffled words now, and it seemed like Edward and Rosalie were arguing about something.

"How could you do this to us?" Rosalie hissed, her words coming out with a new kind of venom. She sounded incredibly irritated. From her very first word, I knew they were arguing about me. It was too obvious, and even more so when I heard the rest of their argument.

"Do what Rosalie?" Edward asked sarcastically, "Finally find someone to love?" That hurt just a bit. I wanted him to say _my true love_, but he hadn't. He'd said _someone to love_. Maybe I was paranoid, but it didn't sound right to me.

"With a human? Do you want to put our family in danger? What about the Volturi? What would they think if they found out?" Rosalie's words were now actually filled with something else. Protectiveness. For her family? Obviously not for me.

Edward hesitated for a second before firmly stating, "I don't care what they think. I love Bella and I'm never leaving her. Not for anything." That warmed my heart. I completely forgot my worries about his last statement. The only reason he'd hesitated was because—though he did love me—he also loved his family enough so that he didn't want anything bad to happen to them. I respected that. I adored it.

I could almost feel the heat from Rosalie's glare, "So you're saying, _that_ _stupid_, _pathetic_ _human_ that you met only a few days ago is more important to you than your own _family_, who've been with you for _decades_?" Her words were daggers into my chest.

"How would you feel if you were in my place and Bella was Emmett?"

"I wouldn't let this happen in the first place! We aren't supposed to socialize with humans, remember? Or have you forgotten that rule too?"

"I didn't have a choice! From the moment I _saw_ her I was in love with her. Even..." Edward didn't say the remaining words, but I could tell her remembered the attack. It made me wonder if he'd actually told anyone what really happened the first time he saw me.

Rosalie's comeback was hard and cold, "Next time you decide to fall in love, fall in love with one of the Delani girls please. At least they're already one of _us_."

I gasped and shot away from the door. It hurt. For her to say behind my back that I was a freak, and she didn't even know how right she was. She had no idea how right she was. But it hurt even more to see that she said it behind my back. It would've hurt less had she said it to my face.

The door swung open and I was met with two pairs of startled eyes—Edward and Emmett. Rosalie had a smug smile on her face, her face clearly saying _what-a-loser_. I could feel the backs of my eyes sting with tears. I wouldn't cry though.

I turned around and dashed as quickly as I could to the front door. I knew Edward would beat me—which he did—but I needed to go outside now. If _she_ was going to be thinking I was a freak, I might as well give her a reason to.

Edward blocked the door, his hands on my shoulders to restrain me. I exhaled and looked up into his eyes. They were pained, regret clear in his plum orbs. I gave a bitter half smile and said, "I'm not going to run away Edward, I just want to show your sister something."

He gave me a dubious, but understanding then sparked in his eyes and he let go of me, stepping out of my way. Rosalie walked up beside and Edward, her arm locked with Emmett's. She rolled her eyes, the smug smile still on her face.

"What the hell could you possibly want to show me?' She asked, her voice acidic. I didn't respond. Edward pushed the door open for me and I stepped outside. Every one of them followed me outside. We were only missing Carlisle, Esme, Alice and Jasper. I shrugged the sweater off and let it drop to the ground.

"Is that what you want to show me? Your tattered shirt? If so, I'm going back inside." Rosalie's voice was mocking, but I was so sure of myself that I didn't pay attention to it.

I took a deep breath, calming myself down. I took two giant bounds forward and jumped into the air. I could hear the start of a smart ass remark behind me before my wings snapped out and pounded up and down rapidly. Every breath caught—even Edward, who'd already seen this before.

I soared higher and higher into the air, feeling my hair wrap around my neck, with the force of the wind. It was so natural. I felt so light up here, like every one of my problems could just float away. It was indescribable, so beautiful. I was afraid of nothing up here—fearless.

My wings stretched as they fanned up and down in perfect rhythm. I aimed back down, to the ground. I would really rather keep flying, but I had a point to prove and I'd just proved it. My feet skidded across the asphalt driveway until I gained my balanced and my wings folded back. I fixed my shirt to cover my wings and turned around to see what their faces looked like.

Rosalie's eyes looked ready to pop from her head, her jaw grazing the ground—not literally. Emmett was stunned, but the beginnings of a smile were playing at the ends of his lips while Edward was sporting a full out grin. He rushed forward to my side to loop his arm through mine. Leaning down, he whispered in my ear, "You should've heard Rosalie's mind."

I smiled up at him and blushed, suddenly bashful. We walked back to the house, but as we passed Rosalie and Emmett, I stopped to say, "The next time you want to call me a freak, say it to my face."

I wasn't sure where the burst of courage came from, but I wasn't complaining. It must've been because of the fact that I was so angry at her. Growing up in a dog crate does that to you. Being as stubborn as I was, maybe that was the reason why I actually stood up for myself.

We entered the house and slammed the door behind us, leaving Rosalie stunned into silence outside. Leading me to the spiralling staircase, Edward chuckled at the absurdity of the situation. I joined him and soon enough we were holding onto the walls to keep from falling over.

This might've not been so bad after all if I hadn't remembered about my own family that second.

--

A/N: So....what say you to this chapter? I wanted to establish with the family what Bella was so that there was no confusion between them. I'm doing my best to keep this story original and fresh, while working to keep almost all my characters the way Stephenie Meyer wrote them to be. I'm not doing the best job, but at least I didn't go right ahead and make them completely OOC. I put in a few lines for you guys, just to make you smile when you saw them. If anyone can guess them all, I'll send you a sneak peek of the next chapter.

The story I'm advertising now is going to be...._**'Death Wish'**_ which is basically just of things to _never_ do to Edward Cullen. I've read lots of stories like this, but this one has got to be the funniest. I've shown all my friends it and they love it. The author is **The Romanticidal Edwardian**. Look up her stories—she's an amazing writer.

I do have a question today: Have any of you seen the much music Twilight cast interview? I loved it! Rob looks so nervous, I feel so bad. It must be horrible with all this pressure! He has to play Edward perfectly—not by my standards—or else people will hate him! I love him though—he's adorable!

Toodles,

Lianna Weschester!


	15. Chapter 15: Humourless Jealousy

A/N: Hey guys! See, I'm updating more and more often! I hope _some_ of you read the author's notes. Sometimes I put actual important things in here! Very rarely, but still. Right now I have one though: **On my profile page, I have a poll going to vote on the next cannon couple AU story I should do. If you guys have any suggestions for cannon couples that aren't up yet, PM me or add it into your review! **Thanks! I write for myself, but also for my readers! Reviews really are the best thing since sliced bread! I would really like to reply to all your kind reviews, but I really have no time, with all my homework and music homework and updating this story. I have about twenty ideas for stories going through my head and this plot idea is a very big one! I've surfed the whole site and am proud to report that I've yet to find a story with my plot! So, onto the story....

Summary: Your typical Maximum Ride and Twilight crossover, with a twist, this time, Bella's part of the Flock. Will Edward still fall in love with Bella—wings and all? AU, BellaxEdward.

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**Title: **You Obviously Haven't Seen the Wings

**Rating: **T

**Author: **Lianna Weschester

Chapter 15

**Bella's POV**

--

"Edward," I started, suddenly worried out of my mind, "I need to leave now." I had to leave _that_ minute or else I'd never leave. I was already forgetting about them more and more often. Sooner or later, I'd forget about them all together, and it wouldn't even be my fault. I was sure anyone in the world would agree with me that it was very difficult to concentrate on things around Edward.

He frowned, "Where? Why do you have to leave?" He looked pained—hurt. As if I wanted to leave to get away from him. As if. I'd do anything in my power to stay with him for as long as possible. I needed to see my family though. Even if it was only one last time. Even if I could only see them long enough for a hug and good bye.

"I need to go see my family."

My answer seemed to clear him up, but he still remained confused. He'd known about my family, but he hadn't even remembered about them until I mentioned them. There was something else, something hidden in his eyes. Very deep within them.

"I'll go get my car," He said, walking back towards the front the door, "You wait outside for me." He opened the door and I expected to see Rosalie and Emmett, but they were somehow miraculously gone. I followed him out the door.

Suddenly he was gone and the car was waiting right at the end of the driveway, beside the house. Then, he was once again beside me, holding his hand out for me to take. I blinked, trying to shake off the shock. A smirk stretched out across his face and he lifted an eyebrow—though he said nothing. I took hold of his hand and we walked to his car.

I slid into the passenger seat and strapped myself in. Edward was already buckled up. I suspected the only reason he wore a seat belt was to derail any suspicions against him. I highly doubted he actually _needed_ a seat belt.

Then we were speeding down the driveway at a speed I wasn't used to. Maybe in the air I was, but I'd only been in a few cars before. Never at this speed. I clenched my hands into fists and crossed my arms nervously. I bit my lip, but not with enough force to break the skin.

"Where do we have to go?" Edward finally asked, his eyes shifting over to mine for half a second. I frowned. I wasn't particularly sure where the valley was. I didn't go on maps and routes. I survived on overhead surveillance and pure instinct.

"Do you remember the meadow I was in when we first met?" I asked. He nodded, but I noticed the way his lips flicked downwards on the word _first met_. Both of us knew the way we'd first met. I nearly smiled at the thought. I was grateful for the first fight. Without it, I would never have met Edward.

"So, where we going?" asked my voice. I flinched and twisted around in my seat. Sure enough, Isabella was smiling at us from her seat in the back of the car. Her sudden appearance had even surprised Edward, who craned his neck around to see her. He looked at me in surprise.

"You called her?"

I shook my head, confused. I didn't think she called me. The last I'd called her, she had come, but never anymore than when I called her. Isabella's grin only spread out farther. She was her usual mad self right now.

"Why would I need to be called?" She laughed manically, though no one else laughed with her. "I'm not a dog you know!"

At this Edward's lips twitched and he gave her a look. I wasn't sure how to interpret the look, but Isabella seemed to. Her smile stayed exactly the same—as if she was forcing the smile—but she nodded. I could tell she still didn't like Edward. I wondered why. There was absolutely no need for me—or any part of me—to even dislike him.

The car sped up and the question pulled back sharply from my mind. Talking could come later when I remembered to breathe. For now I needed to concentrate on not fainting. The car drove on in dead silence, which seemed to annoy Isabella to no end. She slouched back in her seat, examining her nails as if they were the most important things in the world.

We drove for a few more minutes before Edward came to a sudden stop. He unbuckled himself and turned around to face both Isabella and I. He was looking at both of us, but only talking really to me.

"We have to walk from here on. There's no road at this part, but still a bit of city left. A few stores are owned by the locals." He directed the next bit of his speech solely to Isabella, "You need to disappear now."

Isabella protested a bit, "But no one here knows who Bella is! They won't be the least bit suspicious." But nevertheless, in the blink of an eye, she was suddenly gone. I flinched away from where she'd just been. I didn't even see her vanish.

I climbed out of the car and looked around. Not many folks seemed to be here, but there were a few. Edward sauntered over to my side and held out his hand for me to hold. I smiled at the feel of his cold skin against mine. We started walking towards the forest, which was pretty far away. Edward had been right. The road ended right where he'd parked the car, and the rest of the way was just grass that was a light shade of olive.

I watched the others as we walked past them. Most of them ignored both of us, or only took a second glance at Edward. Most of the double lookers were girls. Jealousy boiled in my stomach and I forced myself not to punch them all in the face. I really wanted to, and I doubted Edward would say anything, but I wasn't brought up that way. You shouldn't hit someone for no valid reason. But still, I wanted to so badly.....

I shook the thought from my head and focused on walking. Though both Edward and I could reach the forest in a matter of seconds, there were too many witnesses around. Speaking of witnessed, I just happened to notice someone across the street staring at me funny.

He was different from the others around here. Not just appearance wise, but also in physical size. He was _huge_. Granted not as big as Emmett, he was still a giant compared to me. Long, silky black hair flowed down his back and his large dark eyes stared at me with a strange expression. His russet skin was covered by a pair of sweat pants and a baggy T-shirt. He glanced anxiously between me and Edward. I was staring at him from the corner of my eye, so he hadn't realized I was aware of him.

When my head whipped around to face him, a sliver of sunlight hit my face. The boy gasped and glanced back Edward, who's eyes were clouded over—listening to the boy's thoughts. Suddenly the large boy turned the opposite way and started running to—what I supposed was—his car. He jumped in so quickly, with reflexes so subtle that I doubted he was anymore of a human than me or Edward.

Edward spun around and tried to run at human pace to the car, but it was too late. The car was speeding in the opposite way we were going and was far too long gone now. Whatever Edward's reason was for going after the boy, it obviously wasn't as important as revealing himself to the people around us.

"Edward?" I called, as he stood there, clenching and unclenching his hand into fists. I saw his body move up and down—as if he sighed—and he turned around walked back to me. His face was whiter than before and there were several conflicts going on in his eyes.

"Edward what's wrong?" I asked softly. His eyes narrowed, but not at me. I could see that his eyes were clouded over, so he was obviously reading someone else's thought. Maybe the same boy. Or maybe a random stranger who'd seen more than he should have.

"He was one of the boys from La Push," Edward explained, though it didn't help to clear up my confusion, "He's gone off to tell the others what he thinks he saw."

"Why does it matter to him?" I asked, throwing him a look. "It's not like he knows your secret."

The look Edward gave me was enough to send my mind running.

"H-he k-knows?" I stuttered. Edward gave a quick, curt nod and began walking back to the car. I ran forward a bit and stopped him before he could walk any further.

"No! I still need to talk to my family!" I said with urgency, "Maybe they can help us."

Edward looked torn, like he wanted to listen to me, but wanted to go back to his family now. I gave him my best puppy dog look, my eyes tearing up for effect. I really needed to go see my family. They _could_ help us. A lot.

Finally he sighed and said, "Fine, let's go now, _before_ I do something I'll regret." I smiled and dashed for the forest, at a little faster than regular human pace. Edward soon followed me and we disappeared into the woods, closer and closer to my family with each step.

As soon as we were deep enough in the forest, I sped up my run, my legs pumping quickly underneath me. Edward was a little behind me, but I could tell he was doing it on purpose. He could easily pass me if he wanted to. I might not have been fully human, but he wasn't even the slightest bit alive like me.

The muscles in my legs were straining against the force I was exerting on them. I gritted my teeth and pushed myself faster, carefully dodging the oncoming trees and rocks. There were a few times where I nearly fell over, but I was so desperate to see my family that I was running faster than I'd ever ran before. I wasn't even really running anymore—my feet weren't touching the ground.

There was a dim beam of light about thirty meters ahead of me. My smile grew ten-fold and I added an extra burst of speed to my sprint. I could hear voices now—low voices, but they were there. I was pretty sure, had a human seen me right now, they would've only seen a blur of white and brown.

I burst into the clearing, inches behind Max. She had her back to me, not quite aware of my presence. Suddenly I heard Angel scream my name and tiny bodies began to hug the life from me. Max whipped around faster than you could say _hello_ and shrieked my name. I wasn't sure if she was mad or happy, but I let her hug me all the same.

I hugged them all back with all my strength—even Fang who was awkwardly joined into the hug. I didn't even realise I was crying until the tears of happiness were streaming down my face. They were finally here! I was finally with them again! It was better than I could ever imagine. They made me feel almost whole, though I could never be completely whole without Edward.

_Edward_.

They all protested while I took a step back. _They weren't done their hug_, they said and I nearly laughed aloud. Fang was the only one who was aware of a second presence a few feet behind. I looked back at Edward, whose form was hidden by the dense trees, and nodded. He entered the clearing and walked to my side.

My family shot me accusing looks; their eyes were wide with panic and disbelief. I couldn't say I blamed them. Edward didn't even seem real to me. I blushed scarlet, but tried to gather up my courage enough to introduce them.

"Everyone," I started before Max could say anything, "This is Edward." They all gave me confused looks, except Angel, who was suddenly staring at Edward with a strange expression. He did the same, but his was slightly more understanding.

Max's coffee brown eyes narrowed. Her jaw was set and her posture was tense. Her nostrils flared and her eyes looked absolutely livid. I could just _taste_ her anger. That's how furious she was. She didn't even care about politeness.

But then again, when had she ever?

"How could you?" She seethed, glaring at me and Edward with a fierce hatred. She obviously thought I'd done something to betray them, which was just absolutely hilarious. As if I would ever do something like that. It was unthinkable.

"Relax Max," But when she didn't relax I continued, "Edward is my friend. He's not going to hurt us." I noticed Edward gave me a strange look from the corner of his eye when I said _friend_. I gave him a half-smile—it wasn't like I could say anything else. What would they think? That I was gone for a few days and managed to get a boyfriend?

_But wait.....Edward _wasn't_ my boyfriend._

I cringed inwardly and waited for Max to respond. Just as she opened her mouth to say something, Angel began giggling hysterically, and Edward let out a chuckle or two also. I shot him a confused look. He just smiled and nodded at Angel.

"It seems like you're more than just friends with Edward!" She sniggered, grabbing hold of the stubby ends of her pale blond hair. Her bright blue eyes danced with excitement, stopping to rest on Max's frozen expression.

Max carefully stared back at her, not understanding what she just said. I saw Angel smile as she heard Max's thoughts. I glanced at Edward and realized he was smiling too.

Angel closed her eyes and let her body relax. Images passed before Max's eyes as she stared off into space. Everything that Angel had heard in Edward's mind was being passed to Max. This was the one time I cursed having such a blocked mind. No one else was getting the images at least. Only Max.

The images suddenly stopped flowing and Max nodded a few times. She glanced between me and Edward, who was suddenly right beside me. His hand was held out for me to take, but I considered ignoring it. A thought ran into my mind.

_If I was going to hell, I might as well do it thoroughly._

So I grabbed his hand and smiled sheepishly at Max. Her face was disappointed, but I could see the amusement deep in her eyes. I also saw some traces of panic. My head snapped up to Edward's face.

"How much did you show Angel?" I asked quietly enough so only he heard me. He flashed me a crooked smile.

"Almost everything." He whispered back, a little louder so I could hear him.

"What do you mean by _almost_ everything?"

"I didn't show her Isabella yet. I'm going to leave that to them to figure out."

I froze. So Edward had told Angel that he was a vampire. I looked back at Max, whose face was the same as it had been before. _That was strange_, I thought, _why_ _isn't Max scared in the slightest bit?_

While I was thinking all this over, I noticed how everyone's eyes seemed to cloud over. A wave of panic hit me. _She wouldn't. She couldn't._

I peeked over at Angel and sure enough, her eyes were closed and she wore a smug smirk on her lips. I was frozen with fear. How would anyone take this? Max took it relatively normal, but what about Fang.....and Iggy....

At last they seemed to wake up from their dreams and one by one turned their attention to Edward, whose face was completely serene and composed. How could be so calm in this situation? With about six people suddenly learning his deepest and darkest secret?

It made me sick to my stomach to think that it was my fault that his secret had been revealed.

Finally Max found her voice and whispered, "Vampire?"

Fang, who was suddenly beside her, shrugged nonchalantly, "It's not really much of a surprise. No offense dude, but you don't exactly _look_ human." Edward shrugged, as if to say he didn't care.

I cocked my head to the side and Edward squeezed my hand reassuringly. He leaned down to whisper in my ear, "It's okay. Somehow, none of them are scared," I could hear the smile in his voice now, "They're too much like you."

I blushed pink and looked away. I wouldn't admit it to anyone, but the reason for their causal attitudes had to do with the fact that they were far braver than I was. If positions were switched between me and Max, I was pretty sure that I would be running away right now.

Thinking about Max in my place awakened that raw streak of jealousy.

Max took the silence as a chance to speak up, "So you need our help?"

I was utterly confused. I'd almost forgotten about what had happened before we ran into the forest. Edward had looked worried for some reason, but hadn't fully elaborated. He would tell me later, when we were back at his house. The boy in question gave a curt nod at Max's words, his face grim. Max's face was as serious as ever.

"We're gonna need a place to sleep."

"I trust you know you're way back to my house?" Edward asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Obviously, but can you take any of us with you?"

"I can only take two more."

Max turned around and pointed to Gazzy and Angel. Angel blinked once and grabbed onto Gazzy's hand, walking towards us. I picked up Angel and held her tightly to my chest. She hugged me for a brief second before flipping around onto my back so she was being given a piggyback ride.

"Edward, could you put Gazzy on your back?" I asked sweetly, batting my eyelashes. He rolled his eyes and squatted onto the ground. Gazzy hopped onto his back and beamed.

"Cool, I'm getting a piggyback ride from a vampire!" He exclaimed, his voice filled with pride and awe. I nearly burst out laughing. He was just so excited. Gazzy was such an adorable, innocent child. Of all the children in our family, I think I loved him the best. Max was like my older sister—only by a few months, but nonetheless. Fang and Iggy were my overprotective brothers—though it was creepy to have your brother and sister like each other in the non-family way. And Nudge and Angel were like my little sisters.

Just your average happy family.

That happened to be able to fly.

Read minds, breathe underwater and change appearances.

Turn invisible and create doubles of themselves.

And fall in love with vampires.

Of course, we're just your regular, every day, average family. There are probably many people like us, although....

All the others live in books.

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A/N: Did the ending make any sense to you? If not, I'm sorry. I really am, sincerely. I'm obsessing over the Twilight movie. I'm going to see it for a second time on Saturday with my best friends, Brianna, Tristan, Simona, Cassiane and Ashley. It's the best movie ever! But that might be because I'm just so obsessed with Twilight that anything will do for me. Have any of you noticed that Robert Pattinson _doesn't_ have a six pack? In the book, it says Edward has a six pack. *Pouts* I wanted to see an Edward six pack!!

Sooner or later, you guys will all see the pictures of who I chose for each character. As soon as I find someone for Fang though. He's so hard to cast for!! I can't find anyone. Some of you have given me some good suggestions, but they just didn't seem Fang-ish to me. Thank you though! The closest person I've found so far was Sean Farris, but there aren't any good pictures of him! Please help me!

The story today is _**'In the Age of Empires'**_ which is basically a story about Edward and Bella in the medieval ages. I know many of you don't like stories like that, but trust me when I say that this story is very good. Well written, stays mostly in character and none of that drama that makes you cry with anger. Have you ever cried with anger? It's embarrassing. When I get angry, I cry.

Just to answer one question before anyone asks: About Bella's eyes, yes, I do actually have a friend whose eyes turn amber in the sunlight, although they're a dark brown under normal lights. It's very strange. Her brother's eyes do the same thing.

Toodles,

Lianna Weschester!


	16. Chapter 16: Tasteless Reactions

A/N: The sixteenth chapter! Good, that means were almost halfway through! Although I really want to see this story done, I also want to start my next story. I wanted it to be about Jasper and Alice, but I put a poll up on my profile to let that be decided by my readers. It's all about you guys! It's nice to even have one reader comment on my story! But I almost always get more than ten! This isn't even one of the best stories on this site—you guys are so loyal, even when you don't have to be! This story is almost in the rising action, but for my plot, I just need to figure out some things. If I'm right, then the plot should be coming _very_ soon. So, onto the chapter....

Summary: Your typical Maximum Ride and Twilight crossover, with a twist, this time, Bella's part of the Flock. Will Edward still fall in love with Bella—wings and all? AU, BellaxEdward.

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**Title: **You Obviously Haven't Seen the Wings

**Rating: **T

**Author: **Lianna Weschester

Chapter 16

**Bella's POV**

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We arrived at Edward's house near sunset. The air smelt musky—the fog starting to settle in. Brilliant colours brightened up the skies. Red, orange, yellow, pink and blue. I was mesmerized by the way his skin sparkled in the settling sun. The diamond-like sparkle was still there, but it also carried a rather subtle undertone of orange.

The look on my family's face—when they saw Edward's house—was priceless. You'd think their eyes would fall right from their skulls. Their expressions reminded me strangely of Rosalie after she'd seen my wings. The way their jaws just seemed to unhinge from their face. If I put a video of their reaction on YouTube, I'd get at least a million hits.

I'd never seen Max so speechless. She examined every nick of the house with extreme curiosity. Even corner seemed to interest her—seemingly so. Even Fang seemed to be too shocked for words. Iggy—not seeing anything—relied essentially on what everyone else told him. Though he was blind, his clouded blue eyes roamed the halls, as if he could actually see.

Even I had a hard time believing that this was all happening so fast. But although everything was passing by so quickly, only one thing really stood out. It was by far the only thing I truly doubted could be possible.

Edward.

I'd become obsessed. My every thought seemed to concern him. My favourite pastime was spending time with him. My favourite scent was his sweet honeysuckle smell. He was my everything. He was becoming like a drug for me—and I was hopelessly addicted.

Even now, as I watched him pace his room in anxiety, I could only think of him. Not of the predicament at hand, or even my own family. Only him. No one and nothing else seemed to occupy my mind in his presence.

It was very....difficult to remain coherent in his presence. It seemed that every time he even glanced at me, I was reduced to a quivering pile of pure raging hormones. Every cell inside my body seemed to spring alive, and a new kind of fire swept through my veins. The funniest part was that Edward never seemed to notice what he was doing to me. Too very funny.

I sat on his black leather couch, my legs hanging over the edge, watching him pace back and forth worriedly. His brow was furrowed in concentration and his lips pursed. No matter how dangerous a situation this may be, I was still captivated by him. Even in such an apprehensive state, he was simply mindboggling.

"Are you going to tell me why you're so anxious?" I finally asked, breaking the silence. Edward stopped his pacing and turned to face me. In a matter of milliseconds, he was right in front of me, kneeling between my legs. His face was bone white—whiter than usual—from stress and aggravation. I had to keep from hyperventilating. Having him between my legs was very.....distracting.

"I'm sorry I'm putting you in such danger," He groaned, lowering his head subconsciously near the center of my legs. I nearly fainted right there, my eyes were half-lidded and I struggled to keep them open. The most annoying part of this was that he didn't even _know_ what he was doing to me. Damn Greek God reincarnation.

"Um....what?" I fought to get the words out. My voice was somehow very breathy and silky, almost like a feminine version of his own voice. His head shot up and he looked into my eyes. Confused plum-coloured eyes questioned my tone of voice. He crossed his arms across my legs and placed his head on his folded hands. I could now feel his cool breath on my jean covered core.

I blinked. Strange multi-coloured dots appeared in front of my eyes. My head felt empty and my mouth went dry. There was suddenly a raging fire in the pit of my stomach. It blazed right through me, setting every cell in my body into a frenzy of pure, raw lust. I fought to keep control of myself.

"Is something wrong?" Edward asked innocently, but I could tell that it was genuine. As if he actually knew what in the world he was doing to me. I tried to smile, but my face didn't seem to want to cooperate. _Don't lose control of yourself Swan, keep yourself in check,_ I mentally scolded myself.

I mentally cringed at my last name. There was a reason that I was one of the only members of the Flock to know my own last name. It wasn't something that I liked thinking about. I didn't even like thinking about my last name.

My attention was drawn back to Edward when he started to hum a tune I didn't know. Though the melody was indeed relaxing and seemed to soothe all my stresses, the vibrations from his throat pulsed near my legs, reducing me to a near puddle of sweat. I remembered his last question and tried to answer it.

"N-nothings w-wrong. Just t-tired." I spluttered out, my face going beat red. If Edward ever figured out the reason for my incoherency, I'd die of embarrassment. Though I was seventeen, I was as innocent as a newborn baby. By Edward's own confession, I knew that he was just as innocent as I.

The boy in question nodded in acknowledgement to my supposed fatigue. He seemed slightly suspicious, as if he knew that I wasn't really tired. I tried to smile reassuringly, but I still wasn't in complete control of my facial expressions. I came out as a pained half-smile.

Edward picked me up and cradled me gently to his chest, as if I were a small child. I suddenly found myself realizing that I really was tired. A long yawn escaped my lips and I snuggled into his chest a little more. I heard Edward's low chuckle and my eyes fluttered closed.

I was still awake though. My body was exhausted like I couldn't believe, but my mind didn't seem to want to click off. I frowned, my eyes still closed. There was another chuckle and I opened one eye. His black-purple eyes stared down on me in amusement.

"Having fun?" I asked critically, but there was a hint of laughter in my tone. His crooked smile grew.

"Very." Was his response. Time and time again, I still couldn't figure out what he found so interesting in me. I was completely ordinary in every way. I wasn't beautiful, or talented, or even hilariously funny. I was just me.

Maybe that was all he wanted.

Personally, I didn't care, so long as I had Edward by my side. Another yawn escaped my lips, and I knew sleep was going to descend on me very soon. There was something I wanted to know before I fell asleep, though.

"Why were you so anxious before?" I mumbled, my eye closing once again. I felt Edward stiffen, but he answered me reluctantly.

"It's....nothing very important.....yet. You remember what happened this afternoon—before we found your family?"

"Yes." In truth, I barely did, but the memory was there, nonetheless.

"He's one of the boys from the reservation....the La Push reservation. Like I said, they're one of the only people who know about our secret."

"Why? If they know your secret, won't they tell?"

This made him pause. His breathing hitched, and I could tell without looking that he was arguing with himself whether he should tell me or not. I hoped he would. I did _not_ like secrets, unless I was in on them. He began talking and I listened carefully.

"They can't tell our secret, because they have one of their own." He paused. I realized with a jolt that my eyes were wide open now, absorbing any and all information he threw at me. The story soon continued from where he left off.

"In a sense, the La Push natives are different from us in every way. A comparison we usually make is fire and ice. But in another sense, we're completely alike in every way. They, like us, shouldn't exist in this realm. Both of us belong in some parallel dimension with more of our own kind. One of the major differences is that, while us, as vampires, always stay in the same, un-dead state, the natives can change their forms at will."

I gasped, not quite understanding his cryptic response. It left so many questions, so many opening possibilities. Though he had told me more than he probably should have, he still hadn't told me anything at all. I kept my eyes firmly closed, careful not to make the slightest noise other than the gasp.

"So, they're like.....shape-shifters?" I breathed, the atmosphere suddenly tense. My slender fingers clutched at his shirt, wounding themselves into tight fists. Edward didn't say anything for one minute.....two minutes......three.......

"Yes."

I exhaled. I hadn't even realized I'd been holding my breath. The secret was so close....I could almost taste it. It was like there wasn't even a room around us anymore—we were just floating in the darkest air, just the two of us.

"So, they can change into any shape....at all?" I whispered. We were leaning very close to each other, our noses almost brushing. I held my breath again, waiting for his response. His eyes were carefully guarded, trying to see _inside_ of me, rather than just looking _at_ me.

"Not any shape. Just one. Only one animal." He finally admitted. This was it. I had the perfect opening. If he told me this now, he wouldn't be able to hold back from the rest of his story. This was the most crucial element of the legend, the missing piece in this giant puzzle.

"What kind of animal? A bear, a fox, a shark?" I was incredibly excited now, my heart racing faster than a champion show dog. I was sure Edward could hear my heart. He didn't show any sign of humour on his face though.

"No....a wolf." His voice wasn't quite so low anymore, but it wasn't exactly loud. It sounded confident, like he was sure that this was the right idea—telling me this huge secret. I guess he figured that, since I had a secret of my own, I could handle another one...or two.

A wolf? I figured something larger. Something more aggressive. There had to be some sort of catch. Something I wasn't thinking of properly. There was always a catch. Always a reason to explain everything.

"That still doesn't explain why you were so anxious." I reminded him earnestly, wagging a sole finger in his direction. A grin overtook his face before he became serious again.

"That boy we saw...he's one of them. When he saw you with me, he immediately jumped to the conclusion that I'd changed you into one of my kind." He stopped and suddenly he was sporting a huge grin. "It also doesn't help that you have the palest skin I've ever seen on a human, or the fact that your eyes look like mine in the sun."

I grinned sheepishly, "So, he thought that I'd been turned? Why didn't he think I was already one of you?"

"The wolves are quite familiar with us, as we are with them. Long ago, when my family first came to Forks...." He started to explain, but I cut him off abruptly from this newest piece of information that I'd just learned.

"Forks?" I asked curiously, my face scrunching up. The name was so familiar....but not because it was the name of a kitchen utensil. I was trying to force memories into my head—rather than out—for once.

"Don't interrupt me," He warned playfully, his eyes sombre, while his facial expressions clearly read teasing, "Or I won't continue." His threat made me shut my mouth with a _click_ of my teeth clacking together. He picked up his story from where he left off.

"Long ago, when we first moved to Forks, my family and I went hunting in the woods surrounding the reservation. The wolves happened to see us hunting and threatened to expose our nature to the rest of civilization, for the safety of the humans." He glanced at me from the corner of his eye, and I remained perfectly quiet. "We managed to convince them that we meant no harm to the humans, so, in order to prove our integrity, we came to an agreement. As long as we didn't hunt, nor bite a human without their permission, they wouldn't reveal our secret."

This was all starting to slowly sink in. They weren't allowed to hunt _nor_ bite. The boy we saw today, one of the wolves who'd made the agreement with Edward's family, thought Edward had turned me. He thought Edward had _bitten_ me.

_As long as we didn't hunt, nor bite a human without their permission, they wouldn't reveal our secret._

"Edward?" I asked timidly, my nerves beginning to take over, "What's that boy going to do?"

Edward sighed, and shrugged. He knew no more than I did, and for that reason alone, he was worrying more than he should. Maybe nothing would happen. The odds of that happening were every slim, but there was always hope.

"I'm probably just overreacting." He said, echoing my thoughts exactly, "Nothing's probably going to happen. You should get some sleep, it's nearly midnight."

I was so tired by now, that I couldn't move my head even if I'd wanted to. Normally, I could stay up for much longer, but I was so exhausted by now that I had to struggle to keep my eyes even halfway open. My lips turned up in a half-smile.

"Goodnight, Edward." I mumbled, letting my eyes close over completely. I could hear the crickets outside his window, their chirping sound like a lullaby in my ears. I could feel Edward's cool breath fan over my face, feel the change in the air as he chuckled softly.

"Goodnight, my sweet Bella. I'll see you in the morning."

And then he began to hum unfamiliar tune, something I'd never heard before, but was so beautiful, that I could explosions of colours behind my eyes. Each note blew up like a kaleidoscope of colour, and soon, everything was as black as the darkest cave, but although I couldn't see him, my body felt as if Edward were still with me. Never to leave my side.

And that was how it should be.

--

A/N: Did this chapter make sense? I hope so, or—like always—this will have been a complete waste of time. I really love this story, but I have started a new story. It's called_** 'Build Your Walls and Break Them Down'**_. I haven't published it yet, but as soon as this story is done, I will. It's going to be a story between Alice and Jasper, my new favourite Twilight couple!

If you haven't already noticed, on my profile, I've posted the soundtrack to this story. It's filled with songs that A) Have something to do with the story, or, B) I listened to frequently while writing this story. As soon as my next story is up, I'll make a playlist for the story as well. Finding the music is _really_ fun.

Okay, today, the story I'm advertising is _**'Morbid Curiosity'**_, which is basically a psychological thriller between Alice and Jasper. Don't you find their characters adorable together? And I want their actors (Jackson Rathbone and Ashley Greene) to be together, because they're just so darn cute!

Toodles,

Lianna Weschester!


	17. Chapter 17: Emotionless Drama

A/N: Hey guys! I just want to make one thing clear; last chapter, though it looked like things were about to become very lemony, this story will not turn into a lemon. I'm just trying to get a clear view of what would be inside Bella's head. I mean, she's a seventeen, insanely hormonal girl, for Pete's sake. Of course every small touch and kiss—to her—is going to drive her wild. Edward so funny when he's completely oblivious. If you haven't heard yet, the twilight award nominations will begin December 23, and I would absolutely love it if you guys could nominate me for best crossover. This is my first story and it would be fantastic to win an award like that! I'm not forcing you to; I'd just be incredibly sweet if you could

Summary: Your typical Maximum Ride and Twilight crossover, with a twist, this time, Bella's part of the Flock. Will Edward still fall in love with Bella—wings and all? AU, BellaxEdward.

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**Title: **You Obviously Haven't Seen the Wings

**Rating: **T

**Author: **Lianna Weschester

Chapter 17

**Bella's POV**

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_There were bright colours all around me. Hot, vibrant colours that confused me. They sparkled and pulsed rhythmically, leaving me stunned and overwhelmed. With each beat that the colours throbbed to, I felt my throat constrict. I gasped, trying to suck in enough air to sustain me. There was a blare of noise behind me, but I couldn't hear it. Blood pounded in my ears, perfectly in time with the rhythm. Thump....thump....thump...._

_A cold sweat broke out on my forehead, and I wiped it away. As soon as I had smeared it off my forehead, I began to sweat again. My whole body felt as if I were covered in cold water. I looked down. My clothes were drenched and beginning to leak onto the floor. I was standing in a puddle of strange beige liquid._

_It wasn't water, but it held a very unique smell.....almost like charred flesh. I gagged for a second. It reminded me all too much of nightmares I usually had. In front of me, an aqua blue spot pulsed. My ears rang. My eyes crossed and uncrossed, in an attempt to ward off an oncoming headache. I scrunched my forehead in pain._

_I began to panic and tried to walk forward. Before I'd even taken two steps, my foot slipped on the strange coloured liquid and I sprawled to the ground. I accidently ended up swallowing a mouthful of the fleshy liquid. My body tried to spit out the disgusting fluid, but it was too far into my system. _

_The pale brown liquid burned my throat, as if it'd been set on fire. I tried to scream, but my mouth was dry. Too dry. I was aching for something cold to drink. I tried to croak out the word water, but my tongue suddenly felt like it was cemented to the bottom of my mouth. A hacking cough ripped through my throat. _

_I couldn't breathe. My hands clawed at the floor, trying to pull me forward. My eyes rolled back into my head and I felt the last of my air leave my lungs. I stayed incredibly still and waited for death to overcome me. Waited...and waited...._

_I wouldn't die._

_Something wasn't letting me die. Everything in me burned and flared, but I couldn't die. I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. My body was frozen stiff, my mouth still void of saliva. The fire bubbled in my stomach and black spots appeared before me. A hot pink pulsed beside me._

I was shaken awake by two solid, cold hands. There was a sharp keening noise in the background that hurt my ears and shook me to my very core. It took me a few seconds to realize that the noise was coming from _me_. Panic began to set in.

I opened my eyes, frightened, my face damp and my eyes stinging. Edward's glowing face looked down on mine anxiously. My lower lip trembled and a fresh gush of tears broke loose. A strange mewling sound came from the back of my throat.

"Bella?" He asked worriedly, "Bella, what's wrong?" I launched forward and clung to Edward, moulding myself perfectly to him. He froze, becoming as still as a shadow, as I sobbed into his chest, trying to forget my nightmare. I remembered it so vividly, like it'd really happened. Like it wasn't just a nightmare.

I sniffled a bit more before calming down. Edward arms wrapped around my waist and held me close to him. I could feel his body loosen, but it was still so tense. He was trying to control himself, hold himself back. I could care less right now. All I cared about was forgetting my nightmare.

That horrible, horrible nightmare.

I relaxed against his cold body, keeping my hands fisted in his loose-fitting T-shirt. The tears flowed down my face, though I was no longer sobbing. I sighed, and snuggled closer to him. I felt his cold hand stroke my hair. A comfortable numbness washed over me as my body began to sink back into a dreamless sleep.

I didn't wake up again that night.

***

I woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs. The smoky-bacon smell wafted into the room, to fill my nose and make me drool with anticipation. I blinked a few times before realizing that I was still cradled in his arms, my face pressed into his chest. I let out a muffled sigh and looked up into his eyes.

He gazed softly down on me, a small smile gracing his features. I beamed in return, stretching up for a morning kiss. He met me fervently halfway, pulling me closer to his body. His cold, marble lips moved in synch with mine, as if we'd been doing this for years. The chemistry between us was just so perfect. Like a mixed-up, gruesome fairy-tale.

"Good morning," I mumbled when he pulled back. Edward ducked his head into the crook of my neck and nuzzled me with his barely there fuzz. I giggled at his childish behaviour. He placed a single kiss on my collarbone and lifted his head.

"Good morning." He whispered back. I quickly slipped from his hands and walked over to the door. He was by my side in half a second. I said nothing about his abnormal speed, but my eyes widened slightly. My hand gripped the cool metal and I twisted the door handle.

Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and led me down to the kitchen, letting me pause to admire the paintings and displays that decorated the walls. I let my fingers trail over one particular one. It was one of the loveliest paintings I'd ever seen.

It was a single rose, resting on a pool of black water. Petals were drifting away from the flower, to the corners of the painting. It was so simple, but held so much profound depth to it. Breathtaking was the only word to describe it.

"Who painted this?" I asked gently, glancing back at Edward. He stared down at the floor sheepishly, not answering my question, though at the same time, giving me all the answers I needed and more.

"You did, didn't you?" He confirmed my suspicious with a slow nod of his head, his eyes never leaving the ground. I sighed in mock disappointment. His head shot up in confusion, the question frozen on his lips.

"Is there anything you _can't_ do?" I asked teasingly. He shot me my favourite crooked grin and let out a low chuckle. His head shook slowly, disapprovingly, and he gently pulled me down the stairs, the grin never leaving his face. I concentrated on not tripping.

His siblings awaited us in the kitchen, immersed in their own conversations. Rosalie carefully avoided my eyes, making sure her movements never mingled with mine. I was sure that, had she been human, she'd be blushing right now. I was slightly guilty to admit that her discomfort brought me some amusement. Jasper—Alice's mate—shot me a look from the corner of his eye. I frowned, not understanding what the look meant. He rolled his eyes.

Breakfast was relatively quiet, and I noticed that none of the Flock was up yet. Edward shrugged at my confused expression, probably guessing my thoughts. I was so easy to read, like an open book. My head ducked in embarrassment at the thought. If Edward or anyone else ever learnt of my emotions around him.....

Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I heard Jasper snort.

It was quite awkward to be the only one eating at the table. Not to mention it was incredibly difficult to concentrate on _anything_ with Edward rubbing soothing circles on the exposed skin above my hip bone. I bit my lip, holding back a moan of pleasure. Jasper was practically shaking with silent laughter by now. I frowned. What was wrong with this guy?

My hand wrapped around the cold glass of orange juice. Just as I brought the cup to my lips, Alice let out an ear piercing shriek. The cup tilted too far and spilt right down my shirt. I sighed in aggravation as the cool, sticky liquid dribbled down my chest. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks, staining them a dark red.

"What's wrong Alice?" Jasper asked, taking her tiny hand in his. She shook her head, her brow furrowed in concentration. There was a hopeless look in her eyes that made her seem so incredibly vulnerable. Her forehead pinched with concentration.

"I can't see...there's nothing there...." She whispered over and over again, rocking back and forth. Her eyes filled up with panic and she glanced nervously at Edward. His eyes were closed tightly, his mouth turned downwards in a frown. His eyes fluttered open and he stared into Alice's eyes anxiously.

Their eyes interlocked, sharing a private conversation. I watched as Alice's expression twisted in panic. She looked as if she were going insane. Edward squeezed my hand under the table, trying to reassure himself and me. What was going on?

"Edward," I whispered, so low that only he heard me, "What's going on?"

His tight eyes flickered down to my face. His expression was tense and worried, though I was completely clueless as to what. Something was wrong with Alice. What could possibly be affecting Alice so much?

"Alice.....is having a bit of a....sight problem?" He whispered back, louder so that my weak human ears could hear him. Rosalie shot Edward a look that clearly said _shut-the-hell-up_. Why wouldn't she leave me alone? I didn't ask her to pay attention to me. It was like she found pleasure in tormenting me.

"A sight problem?" This was beyond confusing. There was no word for how strange this morning had turned out. Actually, there might have been a word out there, but at this particular moment, I didn't really care. What kind of a sight problem could he mean? Could vampires become blind?

"I can't see anything!" Alice began to sob uncontrollably, but no tears escaped her eyes, "There are no visions!"

Visions. She couldn't possibly mean that....she could see the future? Things to come. Things that could possibly come. No one could see the future, not even vampires. It was impossible.

Of course, who was I to ridicule the impossible?

Alice looked so lost, so afraid. She sprang up from the table and made a mad dash up the stairs with Jasper at her heels. Just as Alice sprinted from the room, Max and the others entered, rubbing the sleep from their eyes and yawning. Angel watched Alice run off with confusion, though that was quickly washed away when a flicker of understanding crossed her face.

"Whoa," Max said, seeing all of our shocked faces, and my dripping wet shirt, "What'd I miss?"

--

Author's Note: Oh. My. God. I thought I'd never finish this chapter. I've been procrastinating for....weeks. But finally, the chapter is done! My friend Sara has been helping me sort out my horrible procrastination habit. I'm sad to say that none of her training is wearing off, no matter how hard I try. I love this story and all, but as I've said numerous times, I have the terrible curse of too many ideas in my head at the same time.

Amazing! Brianna got a FanFiction account. She won't tell me the name yet though, even if she knows mine! And she visits it every day in math class when the teacher sends them to the computer lab. And my other friend, Ashley is getting one too. All of my friends love FanFiction now. I could almost cry. I think I am.

Today, I'm not advertising a story, and that's because my internet is off at this particular second and I don't feel like turning it on to check in my favourite stories. If you want a whole bunch of good stories, just check out my favourite stories on my profile. That's easy, right? Good.

Toodles,

Lianna Weschester!


	18. Chapter 18: Sightless Afternoon

A/N: I don't think any of you guys are as big a fan of this story as my friend Sara. I swear she's gone psychotic. I don't get it. I mean, this story isn't even one of the best ones on this site. That's why I advertise certain stories. This site holds so many amazing stories! I try to read as many as possible. I'm actually going through a major writer's block. I wasn't really happy with my last chapter. In fact, I want to redo it. But will I? Probably not. I've finally decided to do it. Write a real story, something I can actually attempt to get published. I've already started writing it, but I'm not telling any of you what it's about. Onto _this_ story....

Summary: Your typical Maximum Ride and Twilight crossover, with a twist, this time, Bella's part of the Flock. Will Edward still fall in love with Bella—wings and all? AU, BellaxEdward.

--

**Title: **You Obviously Haven't Seen the Wings

**Rating: **T

**Author: **Lianna Weschester

Chapter 18

**Bella's POV**

--

It seemed like, the more I learned about Edward and his family, the more I realized how little I knew about them. I could be around them for a _hundred years_, and I doubt I would even understand _half_ the things they do.

I ran the wet cloth over my chest, trying to wipe away the gooey orange juice. It frustrated me that no matter how hard I scrubbed; _the damn stuff wouldn't come off_. My skin was now raw and tender from being rubbed much too hard. I winced at the blotchy red mark on my chest. It was ugly, sore and _there_. Way too visible. The only way to hide it would be to wear a turtleneck, or something similar.

Edward knocked against the door and asked me if I was done yet. I clenched my jaw and rolled my eyes at his impatience. Obviously I wasn't done yet. I'd barely got in the bathroom _three minutes_ ago. But of course, anything slower than vamp-speed was just _way_ too slow for Edward.

"No Edward. Strangely enough, I'm _not_ done yet," I answered sarcastically. I did feel slightly guilty for being so curt with Edward, but this morning had not gone well for me. My patience was running short and my good mood from when I'd woken up was now almost completely gone. _Edward would understand_, I though. _He always did_.

The days were ticking by like hours. Slowly, but quickly all the same. Because for some reason, the Cullen's had a calendar hanging in their kitchen, I knew today was Sunday. So, luckily for me, Edward didn't have to go to school today. I wasn't doing anything wrong by taking my time in the washroom.

_It wouldn't go away_. I inwardly shrieked in annoyance. I pressed my hand against my chest once again and it was _still_ sticky. But I wouldn't dare ask Edward for help. Or Alice—that would be _such_ a dignity shredder—and especially not Rosalie. An idea popped into my head. Maybe there _was_ someone I could ask.

"Edward?" I called out, still gazing at my reflection in the glistening mirror.

"Yeah?"

"Can you go get Max for me?" I asked. My skin wasn't as red anymore, but it was still a fierce puckered pink. It stood out against my normally pale complexion.

"Why? Is something wrong? Do you need my help?" I chuckled. So persistent he was. But I loved him. Such a gentleman.

I really didn't deserve someone so perfect.

"No, it's okay Edward. Just ask Max to come please."

He said nothing for a minute, and then there was another knock at the door. Lighter this time, but still forceful as all hell. It _was_ Max though. I really couldn't complain. I opened the door a crack, just to check that it was her, and then let her in.

I had wrapped a towel around my chest for now, so that Max wasn't too incredibly awkward. Obviously when I removed the towel she was, but that's another story. It took nearly twenty minutes, but Max finally helped me get all the remaining traces of O.J off my chest. I don't have a clue what I'd do without Max. She was like my hero.

The day hadn't started off great, but it progressively got better. After the episode with Alice's 'panic attack', I spent the majority of the day outside with the Flock and Edward. The little ones needed to stretch their wings, and I just wanted to soak up the sun, which rarely ever shone. The dizzying effect of Edward's sparkling skin had a separate effect on everyone.

Angel and Nudge were completely entranced by it. Gazzy and Max were perplexed by it, not understanding. It was too…foreign…to unearthly, for them to understand. Fang looked like he almost didn't care. Though Iggy couldn't see anything, he seemed quite amused from the description that Nudge gave him.

I just loved it.

The day went by, like any other day. Uneventful, and quiet. But, inside me, I had the strangest feeling that something was wrong. It was one of those days where, I just—quite out of the blue—felt rather depressed and poignant. And it was such a gorgeous day, with a light breeze and the sun shining.

Alice and Jasper spent the day in their room, as did Emmett and Rosalie. I knew what married couples did in privacy, but it still was slightly uncomfortable to be living in a house, knowing what was happening behind closed doors. Just slightly disturbing.

Edward asked me if I was feeling well, and I told him of my irrational feeling of doom. He tried to console me, but I still felt the tightly coiled spring in my chest. It didn't leave me, and only increased my anxiety of the things to come. I don't think my worry was only because of Alice's meltdown this morning. I think it was also based on instincts.

That afternoon, I lied down with Edward on the grass of the meadow I'd first landed in with my family. The Flock was back at the Cullen mansion, leaving me and Edward alone for the rest of the day. My head rested comfortably against his shoulder, snuggling into his side. Edward has his arm around my waist, giving me the same fuzzy feeling as always.

"Edward," I asked, looking up into his eyes, "Do you ever get tired of being a vampire? Of remaining eternally young?"

Edward sighed and thought for a minute.

"Sometimes," He said, "Not anymore, but I used to."

"How come?"

He thought for another moment, and I just relished in his cool embrace, waiting patiently for him to answer. Which of course, he did after a few moments.

"I suppose, being alone for so many decades, you start to question your existence on Earth. If there really is a higher power, a God _per se_, why would he put you on Earth to spend eternity damned to solitude? After awhile, you start to wish you could age and die, because even withering away is better than living without someone by your side."

I smiled. "That was quite poetic of you."

"I try."

"That you do."

And we spent the rest of the afternoon lying there. I eventually drifted off into sleep, hearing only the songs of the sparrows, and Edward's gentle humming in my ear.

***

When we finally got back to Edward's house, Alice was at the door waiting for us. Or Edward. Probably the latter. Her eyes were anxious, but calmer than they had been this morning. She was also fidgeting uneasily. I glanced over at Edward, but his brow was furrowed in confusion, as mine.

"What's wrong Alice?" He asked. The nervy pixie glided forward, with Jasper trailing behind her. His face was grave, and just somewhat scrunched up. His eyes were black now, vivid against his pale white skin. He was obviously deadly thirsty, which wasn't such a good idea with so many humans running around the house.

"Not much Edward, but my sight hasn't yet returned fully." She paused in thoughtfulness. "I've been getting glimpses of different directions. Every course is so much different than the one before it."

"Excuse me Alice, but I don't understand," I interrupted, feeling guilty for being rude, but needing to understand. Alice led us back into the house, right into the living room, were Edward and I took our seats on a separate couch from Jasper and Alice. She began to explain.

"You see Bella, my visions are subjective. The direction of the future can always alter—change itself. It's the snowball effect. By changing your mind, at any random point of time, the chain reaction to that decision causes the future to change drastically.

"Right now, there are many different courses that could potentially become the possible future. Many of them are extremely unlikely to happen, because they're just _so_ farfetched, but a few of them might actually be plausible. And that scares me, because I'm used to seeing one or two potentials futures. Not twenty. I can't deal with knowing that one random choice could lead to the very destruction of our existence. I can't deal with the possibility of _you_."

She stopped to let everything sink in. I let out a shake breath. "What do you mean? What ahs this gotten anything to do with me?"

"Because Bella. Every single one of those directions, they aren't based on random people's decisions.

"They're based on yours."

--

A/N: That took me forever. I'm so sorry guys. It's been months, and I know, as a writer, that was horrible of me. But things haven't been so great lately and I just needed time to think. Every time I got the opportunity to write, there was just too much on my mind, and it changed the direction of the story. I had to wait until I was emotionally able to write.

Alice might be coming off a little frosty, but she will warm up to Bella. She does love Bella, but she's not used to her. It's difficult to see Bella's future because she's not 100% human. I hope you guys liked the chapter. It was short, as most of my chapters are, but I was satisfied with it.

Reviews are like drugs for me. Please feed my addiction.

--Breathless Tomb--


	19. Chapter 19: Colourless Questions

A/N: This week has been chaotic. Literally I have homework from every subject, and two projects. It's insane. In drama class, we had to perform skits, commercials and improvisation in front of a live audience, which isn't very good for me, because I'm extremely shy. So it's kind of ironic that I love acting. At this immediate moment, I'm eating a Popsicle. And it's purple, so you know it's good. Although purple isn't my favourite color. My favourite color is green. But I doubt I'll ever have a green Popsicle. Anywhoville, onto the story…

Summary: Your typical Maximum Ride and Twilight crossover, with a twist, this time, Bella's part of the Flock. Will Edward still fall in love with Bella—wings and all? AU, BellaxEdward.

--

**Title: **You Obviously Haven't Seen the Wings

**Rating: **T

**Author: **Lianna Weschester

Chapter 19

**Bella's POV**

--

The room was engulfed in silence, while I simply stared at Alice. Her face was sombre and very un-Alice like. My choices? My decisions? Why was I suddenly so important? All my life, I'd been able to blend into the background, remain unnoticed. That was what Max assumed was the reason for my invisibility. And now all of a sudden, the very existence of Edward and his family was to be jeopardized by _my_ decisions?

"Why me?" I asked, putting my hand against my chest.

"I don't know. Maybe it's because you know what we are. Even if you do have your own secret, it's nowhere near as bad as ours. And that's why I can't deal with this. I've never been so confused before." She paused mid-thought, thinking. "Even you changing when you want to brush your teeth seems to be affecting the future. It's considerably odd."

I shook my head and took a deep breath. "You know what, whatever. I don't care. If I'm such a big disturbance, maybe I should just leave." Edward's hand tightened on mine, and when I glanced over to his face, his brow was furrowed and his mouth turned down into a frown.

Alice pursed his lips. "You can't leave yet. Even though you're screwing up my visions, I'm worried about you. Your future is fuzzier than usual, even fading away completely at some points."

"Fading away?" Edward interrupted. His voice was low and rough, like it hurt for him to talk. Alice nodded.

"I've never seen something like that happen before. Not this often. Her future is so off balanced. Sometimes I'll be able to see her as clearly as I see myself or Jasper or you. Then other times, it's a little sketchy, like watching a human. And then sometimes, it fades away all together, and I'm left watching a giant blind spot."

Edward said nothing for a few minutes, before calling out Carlisle's name. The blond doctor was in the room in a fraction of a second. He held up a pale hand to silence Edward before he said anything.

"I already heard," Carlisle said in his quiet voice, "And I don't understand this anymore than you do."

"_I_ don't understand this!" Alice sighed, her head falling into her cupped hands. "Nothing can block out my vision! Except the wolves that is." She quickly added. Carlisle's eyes considerably perked up. As did Edward's, while I remained in thought.

Wolves? Were those the shape-shifters that Edward had told me about? Why couldn't Alice see them? I'd need to ask her later. For now, I would just keep my mouth shut and listen closely.

"Could it possibly _be_ the wolves?" Carlisle asked calmly. He sat down next to Alice on the couch, putting a hand on her shoulder. She pursued her lips, her eyes a little softer than before. I could tell by her expression that she was considering Carlisle's words. I was still in the fog though, not sure as to how the wolves could prevent Alice from seeing my future.

"I guess it depends," She finally admitted, "But then again, the wolves have no idea about Bella's existence."

Edward ran his hand through his hair. "That's where you're wrong."

Alice's voice was deadly quiet. "What?"

"The day we went to get Bella's family, one of the boys was there," Edward told them, "I think it was Billy Black's boy—Jacob. He saw Bella."

Both Carlisle's and Alice's eyes widened. "But why would he care? Bella looks as human as any regular person."

"Her eyes. They change colors in the sunlight. More specifically, they turn amber. Just like ours." Edward sighed.

Carlisle's eyes were disappointed. "Why didn't you tell me right away Edward?"

"It wasn't important at the time."

For a few minutes, everyone sat in relative silence. I could sense Edward's guilt and Carlisle's discontent, but mostly, Alice's growing anxiety. Her whole body was stiff, like a corpse struck with rigor mortis.

"Well then." She finally said. "That changes everything. That would explain why the future disappeared this morning."

I raised my hand, interrupting her. "Excuse me, Alice, but, why exactly can't you see the wolves? They might be shape shifters, but they're still partly human, right?"

Her lips flickered upwards, but she answered me all the same. "Let me try to explain. I can see vampires clearly because_ I_ _am_ one. I can see humans roughly because _I was_ one. I can't see the wolves at all because I am not one, nor have I ever been. It seems that since I have no real connection to them, I can't see them at all."

I nodded and quickly changed the subject, "Why would the wolves be interested in me? Even if I was a vampire, he has no way of knowing if you guys changed me or not. He would be clueless." But even as I said that, something in my twisted, _as if I knew_ subconsciously that my words were a lie. But, my conscious mind had no idea why I thought my own words were a lie.

All three vampires frowned, though Carlisle spoke for all of them. "I don't know Bella. Maybe they just assumed. Maybe they know you from somewhere else. But you do bring up a good point. If they did indeed see your eyes shine golden, even they would know that would've meant you'd had to have been a vampire for at least a year."

"Pardon?" I asked, confused. Why would I've had to have been a vampire for a year?

"Newborn's eyes were red, not gold. You can only attain our specific eye color after having fed off animal blood for a little over twelve months." He explained.

That confused me even more. If the werewolves had seen my eyes glow amber, then why had he ran away so fast? First, just by the color, he would've assumed I was a vegetarian and therefore relatively docile to those around me; and second, how would he have known the Cullen's had changed me? He had no former knowledge of me. I could a friend visiting from somewhere else. I could be someone entirely new coming to live with the Cullen's.

So why had he run off so fast? Why were the wolves messing with my future? How had they tied themselves to my immediate future, or even the Cullen's immediate futures? It made no sense. At the very least, they could've tried to contact the Cullen's, to get the story straight.

"Can you call them or anything?" I asked, "To tell them I'm not a vampire?"

"We will Bella. Don't worry about us, it's you who matters." Carlisle said, with a soft smile on his face. I wrinkled my nose teasingly.

"I never said I was worried about anything." I mumbled, tucking in my chin. Edward chuckled and leaned down to place his mouth next to my ear.

"It shows all over your face, love. It's as plain as day." He whispered, and I shivered from the chill in his breath. It was a mixture of slight pain—from the cold—and nearly completely pleasurable. I _hmphed_, causing Edward to chuckled again.

"Do you want to help me round up the kids, Alice and Bella?" Carlisle asked, standing up. "Edward, you start your car. Bella will come with Max. Rosalie will take Angel, Gazzy and Nudge. Alice, I want you, Jasper and Fang to ride with Rosalie. Esme and I will take my car." He glided from the room.

The rest of us stood up. I gave Edward a quick hug, and left to find Max. Alice followed me, searching for Jasper and Fang. It didn't take me long to find Max. She was sitting by herself at the kitchen table, staring out the giant windows at the clear blue sky. There was a sadness to her eyes that I couldn't distinguish.

"Come on Max," I whispered, breaking her from her trance, "We've got to go now."

"Where are we going?" She asked me in the small voice of a child. She sounded so vulnerable, so delicate. It was a rare thing. The Max I knew, the Max I grew up with was never like this. She was a leader. She was strong.

"We're going to help save the Cullen's and us."

Max got up, taking my hand and leading me out the front door in silence. Edward's Volvo was parked out front, with the windows rolled down. We hurried down the stone steps, hand in hand. Once we reached the car, and once I'd heard the _click_ of the doors unlocking, I yanked open the passenger seat door and sat down. Max sat in the back.

We snapped out seat belts on, and waited for everyone else to get into their cars, before taking off, hopefully to end any crisis before it started.

Because I don't know what I would do to myself if I had to live with the fact that something had happened to the Cullen's because of me. I considered them family as I considered Edward my one and only love.

Losing them……losing my family and love, would be horrible. Losing them would be worse than the knowledge of knowing I'd caused my own parent's deaths. Losing them would be worse than death itself. Losing them would be every bit as painful as losing the Flock, who I'd known my whole life.

I just couldn't lose them.

Not after I just found them.

--

A/N: DONE. Finally. It took forever to finish this chapter. How is everyone? I'm tired, and bored. I'm getting my hair cut soon. Exactly like Alice Cullen. And I'm dying it reddish brown, just like Alice in the movie. I'm so excited! It's going to be this Saturday!

So, review please. Reviews are better than drugs. Not that I would know….

So review. 

Thanks!

--Breathless Tomb--


	20. Author's Note

The first and only author's note outside of a chapter that I will ever do:

Kay, it's official. I'm gone for good on this account. I'm older now (sixteen), and I've outgrown Twilight. It's been a nice run, for sure, but I'm totally done with it now. I won't say my stories are up for adoption—um...because they're not—, but I won't be completing them anytime soon. You were all amazing fans/reviewers and I treasure each of you, but I've moved on to different fandoms. I started a new account, though I won't mention it.

Some of you may be disappointed, others not, but this is for the best, you see. I have NO passion for Twilight left, I've actually come to dislike it quite some bit, for various reasons. My stories would completely and utterly suck if I kept trying to write. Fanfictions need passion and love for the fandom if they are ever to be completed and done well at that. I no longer have those two things.

I started this account when I was fourteen. It's been about two years since then, and I think this site has helped me grow so very much as a writer. I don't regret writing these stories. I probably never will, as much as they sometimes embarrass me.

Thank you again! I hope you have an amazing summer and…an amazing life? Since I'll probably never see you again?

Peace.

-Lia


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